Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope

[Amray]

Has anybody else heard of this?
I found this out yesterday on the "Xbox Today" thing on the dashboard. So I assume that it will be released on the 360.
I couldn't believe it, I am so looking forward to it now. I never knew that they were working on a new one.

"AD 2064. Humanity made its third and most costly mistake. World War III. Weapons of mass destruction deployed with impunity, razed the land in the blink of an eye. People believed it's the end of the world. Planet earth was dying. So humanity began to search for a new home in space."

Their is not too much information about it yet though, and so far they have only confirmed it for the Xbox 360. Square-Enix were also keeping the game quiet too, which is why I never heard of it before yesterday.

Anyway, here is a trailer. What do you think?

[Village Idiot]

I've completely lost interest in the SO franchise after the BS plot twist in SO3.

[bungmonkey]

I'm looking forward to it. I loved the second one for the psx. Square enix is also making 2 more RPGs for the 360 called Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant which are also almost unheard of and could be good.

[nadare]

SE is only the publisher for both The Last Remnant and SO4.

Tri-Ace is the one developing both games.

The Last Remnant is timed exclusive and will go to the Ps3.

Infinite Undiscovery is exclusive to the X360. Among the 3 new RPGs for the x360 this is the only game that is developed by Square Enix.

SE is using the Unreal Engine for the IU in attempt to westernize the game and capture the western market instead of the Japan market.

[Claude]

I can't say that I enjoyed Till the End of Time so I think I'll be a bit more cautious before running to the stores for this one. I have to say though, the third one looked so good and the box art by itself made me want to pay 50 bucks for it. Now it's on sale for 12 bucks at my local gamestop...

[Amray]

I actually adored Star Ocean 3. I found it awesome and loved the battle system. Had some decent music too.

Although Eternal Sonata will always be the best Xbox RPG ever! Which is to be released on PS3 later this year too.

[Tornix]

I thought the gameplay and soundtrack for SO3 made up a bit for that infamous plot twist. Still, I'm kind of surprised at how much RPG's the 360 is getting. But then again it's cheaper when compared to PS3.

[DeotoxSlayer]

Originally Posted by Tornix

I thought the gameplay and soundtrack for SO3 made up a bit for that infamous plot twist. Still, I'm kind of surprised at how much RPG's the 360 is getting. But then again it's cheaper when compared to PS3.

What twist are you guys talking about???

Also i'm kinda angry since I was hoping that SO4 would be out for the PS3, but I guess this means that PS3 owner wont be gettin SO4.

[rg4619]

Still, I'm kind of surprised at how much RPG's the 360 is getting.

Both the XBox360 and PS3 are perceived to be flops in Japan, but the former has done well in the US.

Last generation, SE USA sold 600,000 copies of Star Ocean 3, so there's probably some potential for a hit. At this point, even Square Enix (traditionally very insular compared to other large publishers) is beginning to look away from the Japanese market, at least until the situation improves (if it ever does).

[saphyre]

Just because it hasn't been released for the PS3 yet doesn't mean it won't be released for it. The rest of the series has been on the PS console, and most of Square Enix's games are on the PS console anyway.
Just give it sometime I think.

[Narumi]

Originally Posted by nadare

SE is only the publisher for both The Last Remnant and SO4.

Tri-Ace is the one developing both games.

The Last Remnant is timed exclusive and will go to the Ps3.

Infinite Undiscovery is exclusive to the X360. Among the 3 new RPGs for the x360 this is the only game that is developed by Square Enix.

You mixed up your games. Infinite Undiscovery is the tri-Ace exclusive title, while Last Remnant is the Square-Enix title developed using UE3 for the 360 and the PS3.

Originally Posted by saphyre

JThe rest of the series has been on the PS console

What about the Super Famicom and GBA Star Ocean titles?

[Spitfire]

Originally Posted by DeotoxSlayer

What twist are you guys talking about???

Spoiler for Twist:

The twist they are referring to is the fact that the SO universe is simply a virtual reality world created by beings from the 4th Dimension, IIRC. Been awhile since I played the game.

[kujoe]

Yeah, about that... I wonder how that infamous twist will play into the story this time?

I'm actually hoping that they'll just retcon it, but I suppose that would cause more damage in the long run.

As for its exclusivity status, SO4 was supposedly going to be developed for the PS3 at first. MS really pulled off a deal to get it made for their console instead, hence why people are wondering if it's still going to be eventually released for the PS3 or not. SE has responded to this by saying that they have "no plans" at the moment. Read into that all you want.

[DragoonKain3]

I'm actually interested in SO4, mainly because the hero/heroine is tripping my osana-najimi radar lol. And for good reason as well, as two of the three titles has the main hero/heroine being childhood friends. The one title that doesn't have the main hero/heroine being childhood friends, has the heroine having one anyways as a support character. XD

Originally Posted by saphyre

Just because it hasn't been released for the PS3 yet doesn't mean it won't be released for it. The rest of the series has been on the PS console, and most of Square Enix's games are on the PS console anyway.
Just give it sometime I think.

I remember when back when, every major RPG (read, anything by Square OR Enix) has been released on the NES, and to a much greater degree, to the SNES consoles. I followed the same line of thinking then, and got an N64. My bro on the other hand, got the console where a slew of RPGs was already made and had future titles slated to be released for it; which is the PSX. Us being both RPG fanatics, who do you think got the better end of the deal?

Ironically, I owned a PS3 before I just recently purchased a 360, but that was only because I needed a BC system that is able to play my library of PSX/PS2 library first, a Blu-ray Disc player second, and a giant memory card being third. I certainly didn't buy the PS3 for PS3 games, lol.

360 on the otherhand, I bought for its games, particularly for the upcoming Operation Darkness. Of the two, I expect more future RPG titles for the 360, unless FF13 is only ever released for the PS3 and singlehandedly makes that system THE rpg system to get, which I highly doubt will happen in any case.

[Kamui4356]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Spoiler for Twist:

The twist they are referring to is the fact that the SO universe is simply a virtual reality world created by beings from the 4th Dimension, IIRC. Been awhile since I played the game.

Which does explain why primitive planets in the middle of nowhere that have had no contact with any advanced species all use the same currency though.

Originally Posted by kujoe

Yeah, about that... I wonder how that infamous twist will play into the story this time?

I'm actually hoping that they'll just retcon it, but I suppose that would cause more damage in the long run.

It's possible that they'll completely ignore it. This seems to be a prequal, so there's little reason for it to even come up.

Anyway, guess I need to save for a 360 now. I wasn't really planning on buying a next gen system at all, but I'm a huge star ocean fan and there are some other games on 360 I'd like.

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

I remember when back when, every major RPG (read, anything by Square OR Enix) has been released on the NES, and to a much greater degree, to the SNES consoles. I followed the same line of thinking then, and got an N64. My bro on the other hand, got the console where a slew of RPGs was already made and had future titles slated to be released for it; which is the PSX. Us being both RPG fanatics, who do you think got the better end of the deal?

I did the same thing with the n64. Though I can't say it was a complete waste, as I did get quite a few other games for it. Still the rpgs just never materalized.

[rg4619]

As for its exclusivity status, SO4 was supposedly going to be developed for the PS3 at first. MS really pulled off a deal to get it made for their console instead

That's only fan speculation.

I would actually guess that SO4 was always in development for XBox360. With Infinite Undiscovery already being built on that platform, it's much easier for tri-Ace to work directly with that technology than to specifically tailor a PS3 build.

The question is whether a PS3 port might happen. Initially, Square Enix couldn't confirm the game's platform, which made people wonder whether there was some internal debate going on (slow PS3 sales makes the project less attractive for both developer and publisher).

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

unless FF13 is only ever released for the PS3 and singlehandedly makes that system THE rpg system to get, which I highly doubt will happen in any case.

Actually, there's a good chance of that happening. Simply put, FFXIII is a systems seller. SE is actually releasing stuff on different platforms now, but I imagine that Sony is doing all it can to keep the main FF line on their console. And you really can't refer to a console as an "RPG console" without the big name of FF in it. Its release will be a guaranteed spike in software and hardware sales.

Operation Darkness looks pretty "meh" in my opinion, and as far as SRPGs are concerned I'm hoping for a Western release of Valkyria Chronicles instead, which comes across to me as the closest to a spiritual successor to Skies of Arcadia we might ever get.

The RPG landscape right now is pretty spread out even between systems, from the DS, PSP all the way to the 360 and PS3. It's an expensive time to be playing RPGs.

[DragoonKain3]

Originally Posted by kujoe

The RPG landscape right now is pretty spread out even between systems, from the DS, PSP all the way to the 360 and PS3. It's an expensive time to be playing RPGs.

Between the PS3 and the Xbox 360, I would've have to certainly disagree in terms of RPGs. Here's a well written editorial about it, and I can't help but feel its true.

http://www.rpgfan.com/editorials/2008/06-17.html

Shame really, as I think that the PS3 is the superior machine in terms of hardware. Then again, the N64 was arguably the superior machine in its generation, and look how it fared.

[kujoe]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

Between the PS3 and the Xbox 360, I would've have to certainly disagree in terms of RPGs. Here's a well written editorial about it, and I can't help but feel its true.

Sorry, but some of the titles listed aren't even worth it in my opinion. I tend to keep score based on quality or what interests me. Not to mention, FFXIII is bound to affect a game library significantly. However in terms of quantity it's a toss between the DS and the 360.

For the 360, I'm looking forward to Tales of Vesperia, Star Ocean 4 and Fable 2. For the PS3 there's Valkyria Chronicles, FFXIII, FFXIIIvs and White Knight Story. Fallout 3 and Last Remnant on the other hand, are multi-platform titles. I'm still not sure about Infinite Undiscovery (360) or Disgaea 3 (PS3), which aren't really appealing to me right now, especially since time is not something I always have. The DS has some interesting RPGs on the horizon as well.

Looking at the bigger picture, the RPG landscape isn't what it used to be, and if you want to get a broad experience, you'd have to pay for it.

[rg4619]

The problem is less about Sony than the inability of Japanese companies to cope with either the financial or technological demands of next-gen development.

The PS3 can't succeed unless content makers provide a reason for people to buy the system. However, few companies are up to the task, nor do they want to take big risks until the installed base expands.........

Unless studios radically change the ways they work (progress is stifled by developmental processes that have remained static for years, conservative attitudes when it comes to sharing technology between teams, and closed corporate cultures), I don't see a bright future for high-end games aimed at Japanese audiences.