Full FeedGamertell Review: Star Ocean: Second Evolution for PSP
Title: Star Ocean: Second Evoltion
Price: $39.99
System: PSP
Release Date: January 20, 2009
Publisher (Developer): Square Enix (TOSE)
ESRB Rating: Teen
Pros: All new voiced dialogue, addition of animated scenes, extensive customization, enjoyable battle system, private action sequences
Cons: Ashton and Celine’s voiceovers, skill point accrual is sluggish, customization is shoot or miss
Overall Score: Two thumbs up; 95/100; A; ****1/2 out of five.
The stars in the sky beckon once again for a worthy adventurer to delve into its great abyss in Star Ocean: Second Evolution (SOSE) where a young ensign mistaken for a hero of legend and an orphaned girl blessed with the power of healing find themselves bound together in a great excursion filled with discovery and deceit.
This is the second game in the Star Ocean universe following Star Ocean (PS)/Star Ocean: First Departure (Sony PSP) and, unlike its predecessor, players have the option to experience the game through the point of view of two different characters: Claude or Rena. While the overall storyline remains the same for each, whom you choose to experience this adventure with determines which characters you can recruit later on as well as different dialogue during events.
Master and Commander
SOSE sports a real-time system where players manually control one character during battles while giving overall strategic instructions to the remaining members of the party controlled by an AI. Unfortunately, the AI doesn’t always make the best decisions when it comes to fighting efficiently (i.e. letting the party get to near decimation before deciding to unleash powerful spells), but much like the humans who program them, nothing’s perfect.
Privacy Like No Other
One aspect that is solely unique to the Star Ocean series is the private action (PA) system. Players can initiate these sequences whenever they enter town and certain events unlock additional side quests as well as being necessary for certain character recruitment. PAs are also generally entertaining and give players a more in-depth look into character personalities. PAs are by no means frivolous because they can even affect how each party member acts towards one another during battles. What happens during PAs also helps to determine which multitude of endings the player will finally get once they reach the end of this massive adventure.
Talent for Creativity
Lying within SOSE is a grand amount of customization that players get to employ and experiment with. Each character that joins the party is endowed with innate talents that help to determine which skills they would be best at performing. Customization is vital to progressing in this game if you want to be able to unlock the strongest armor, weapons, and accessories. While there isn’t a comprehensive guide to item customization since there are seemingly endless combinations, it would be wise to constantly save before chancing rare materials that may result in the creation of a fuddy-duddy sword.
Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks
While SOSE hasn’t exactly evolved, as the new title suggests, it is indeed an enhanced remake of the original that’s packed with enough new content to warrant its purchase whether or not you’ve played through the original Playstation incarnation.
Players are not only treated to new character art, an all-new anime intro and a handful of cut scenes but also to an extensive amount of new, fully voiced dialogue (although, some of the voice acting could have been better, i.e. Ashton and Celine). Also, there’s the addition of brand new PAs as well as Welch Vineyard (Star Ocean: Til The End of Time) making a cameo appearance (yet again, a la Star Ocean: First Departure for the PSP) and being a playable character.
Overall, it is nice to be able to take this game with me wherever I go thanks to the portability of the PSP. I don’t ever have to stop playing this game unless my battery runs out and I don’t have a nearby accessible electrical outlet.
Trust me, you’ll need the all the time in the world since SOSE teases you with a multitude of different endings.
Site [Star Ocean: Second Evolution]
Keep up with the latest gaming goodness! - 
Subscribe to our feed
Black Friday 2009
Black Friday is almost here! Gadgetell's got you covered with all the latest news on who's offering the best deals. Dangerous crowds? You're on your own.
Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
Ashton’s voice can be horrendous - too true. For some reason I found myself disliking Chisato’s as well.
You’re having trouble getting Skill Points? There’s a simple fix. You just need to boost some certain skills to succeed.
You have to have the party know the Super Specialty Enlightenment. This happens when 2 or more people have the Train and Survival abilities. This gives everyone more SP per level.
You also may want to have everyone learn Train (Effort, Determination, Resilience), so they can level up quicker.
You’ll also want characters to know these skills:
Effort - lowers exp requirements per level
Determination - lowers SP needed to learn skills
By level 50, your characters should be masters of quite a few skills. :D
Also - the alchemy money trick from Star Ocean: First Departure returns. Get Rena to lvl 10 in alchemy. Buy iron. Have her make up some Philosopher’s Stones. Sell those. Repeat until you have the desired amount of money. You should probably wait to do this until Nede though - there you can purchase a Lezard Flash, which makes it easier for her to make rare stones.
I’ve found using Philosopher’s Stones when customizing - tends to result in better weapons.
on February 19, 2009 at 04:20 PM - LINKHi, hi!!
Thanks for your suggestions. I’m aware of those tactics you’re suggesting because I’ve been utulizing them to heck in First Departure…it’s just that it seemed as though I was able to acquire them much earlier in the game compared to Second Evolution…..every time I level up in SE, I’m only getting about 15 skill points per character…ugh!! I’m still waiting to find the skill guild that will sell me the skills needed for the exp boost…. :/
on February 20, 2009 at 11:02 AM - LINKBy the time you reach Lacour (or is it Linga), you should have all the skill sets you need for the extra skills.
I think the exp booster skill guild was still on the first continent, if I remember right. Or right when you first arrive on the second continent.
on February 20, 2009 at 12:35 PM - LINK