14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that Square Enix really enjoys Microsoft's console, since not only its biggest title, Final Fantasy XIII will get an Xbox 360 version, but the Star Ocean series, usually considered a PlayStation exclusive, will mark its way onto Xbox 360 exclusively. Yes, you've heard that right - exclusively!
The first game in the series to be released on Microsoft's console is Star Ocean: the Last Hope, which was presented at the E3 event and promises to be great, even though it has, like all the Square Enix titles, a "Final Fantasy feel". But it looks nice and promises to bring us a great experience.
The RPG's story begins in the year S.D. 10 (which means that, yes, it's a prequel!), just after the end of the third world war which basically destroyed the entire planet and sent people to voyage into the stars, searching for a new home and a second chance. As you can imagine, things won't be easy at all, but it will at least be a delight to watch, since the special effects and CG movies will be created by Visual Works (hence the FF resemblance). The game will be released in spring 2009.
However, since Square Enix probably felt it was necessary to do something for Sony's fans, they have announced two upcoming titles to be launched only on the PSP handheld. It's not much, we know, but it's definitely better than nothing (though, it still adds to Sony's huge loss this year).
Star Ocean: First Departure starts in the year S.D. 346 when the crew of a Terran Federation Ship arrives on the planet Roak with one clear goal in mind: prevent a huge war from starting. With beautiful graphics for the PSP and a record set (the first time when the franchise is made available in North America), First Departure promises to put players under its spell and make them forget the pain of not receiving The Last Hope on PS3. The game will be released on the 21st of October this year.
In January 2009, fans will get the chance to experience another PSP title, Star Ocean: Second Evolution, which begins its story 20 years after the original game, in the year S.D. 366, when a young Federation officer finds himself teleported to a mystical planet where he is suddenly considered the Hero of Light. He has no other option than to believe they are right and begin a journey to fulfill an ancient prophecy and save the newfound race.
In the end, we can say that things are still looking good: Square Enix keeps bringing us what it knows we love, quality RPG games. They do seem to be similar from many directions but, in the end, the gaming experience is what matters most - and that promises to be a great one.