Star Ocean: The Second Story R (NSW)

Yes, not being clear about the fact that the 3GB DL (the warning is missing from the pics on amazon) is *mostly* language packs was annoying - I can't tell you how angry I was when I opened my package and saw that warning staring back at me, but yes, the entire game IS on the cart. There's a rumor that without the patch there is a game breaking bug that *CAN* halt your progress, but I can't for the life of me find any info where that occurs in the game without the patch.However, beyond the above (which was beyond annoying) I honestly cannot imagine playing the PS1 original or the PSP version again. There are just way too many positive, quality of life changes here to ignore. You can chain enemy encounters together to get money and experience multipliers, meaning it's easier to level up and the game respects your time more this time around. Everyone in the party (even the characters not in your current party) gets experience, so you don't leave half your characters in the dust. The combination of the original sprites (love those new idle character animations by the way) and 3D backgrounds works better than you would expect; giving us something new and old to enjoy. Even the improvements that somewhat limbo under the bar don't really intrude on the experience.There are a few hitches to the Switch version however. The Switch doesn't handle the world map (which has seen a MASSIVE improvement) the greatest, with constant pop-in of trees while the actual land masses and towns DON'T pop in. There's some pop-in in some dungeons as well, but it's much more minimal. Obviously, the pop in does not occur in the PlayStation versions, but this isn't very surprising given how old the Switch is. The Switch version runs at 30fps while the PS versions are running at 60. The PS versions look smoother because of that (but they also look odd to me because of this as well), but I honestly thought they looked a little blurry, and thought the Switch version looked a little crisper, but that may be because I'm playing on a Switch Lite. There doesn't seem to be any performance issues in towns and combat (which, yes, the combat it the more important thing here!) so if you only have a Switch you're gonna lose a little performance, but nowhere near enough to KO this version into oblivion.The voice acting is taken from the previous PSP version, which is good and bad. I get why they didn't redo the VA but there are a few parts where the characters all act like brats and their personalities/voices get on my nerves. There are also some NPCs that have some odd annunciation (sounding angrier/more annoyed than you'd expect) but it's decent enough. Thankfully, we're long past the original translation from the PS1 original which was pretty terrible but par the course for that time.I'd say 95 times out of 100 the various changes make the game better and I can only name a few points where I thought the original game (outside VA and translation) did a better job. I think the last dungeon of the first half was better on the original. Magic casters have been completely reworked and are more viable attack option than in the original. The game's still unbalanced and it's just as broken as the OG but is just broken in a new way now, but it's still fun.But regardless, along with the remaster of SaGa Frontier and the Pixel Remasters, it appears if Square-Enix has successfully thought this one back for all of us to enjoy again. I'd say that's around 40 points!

Certainly! Here's a product review style write-up for Star Ocean: The Second Story R:---### Review: "Reliving Nostalgic Adventures in Star Ocean"Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a wonderful remake that breathes new life into a classic game from the Star Ocean series. The addition of character portraits and voice acting enhances the storytelling, evoking deep nostalgic memories of the original game. It's been a joy to experience these familiar characters and their journeys with updated visuals and immersive voiceovers.Recently, a substantial software update expanded the game even further, adding more character portraits, cutscenes, and additional content. This update has significantly enhanced the overall value of the game, making it a worthwhile investment for both newcomers and longtime fans alike. I gifted this to my partner for their birthday, and we've been thoroughly enjoying reliving the adventures of Star Ocean together. If you're looking to revisit a beloved RPG with modern improvements, Star Ocean: The Second Story R delivers a nostalgic and enriching gaming experience.

I played this game in many iterations. This one is by far the best with the graphics. I played this game in Japanese first then English when it was on PSP. I love how good a quality the translation is and how they have Japanese as a voice option. It is great if you are learning just fyi. If you already know it is just fun to listen to while reading the English localization.

Excellent game

Game quality

I’m really enjoying Star Ocean: The Second Story R on the Switch! The remake is beautiful, with a great mix of 2D and 3D visuals that respect the original while giving it a modern edge. The combat is fast and fluid + the dual protagonist system adds solid replay value. Voice acting and music are excellent + the quality-of-life updates—like faster movement and skippable scenes—are very welcome.Just a heads-up for anyone purchasing the physical version: there’s a required 3GB download (mostly language packs and bug fixes) when you first launch the game. This isn’t noted on the case or shown in the product images on Amazon... It's something to keep in mind if you're managing limited storage or have a slower internet connection.While it doesn’t ruin the experience, it's definitely the kind of detail that should be disclosed up front. Physical buyers expect the full game to be on the cartridge—or at least to be clearly informed otherwise.Overall: This is a fantastic remake of a classic JRPG, and well worth picking up if you're okay with the extra download.

I have played the original game before. I recently have been playing more hd2d games and saw this remake. So I knew I had to get it. The qof improvements are nice, the depth of game mechanics which make a jrpg good are all present plus some. Lots of content, the visuals are amazing. The artstyle is gorgeous. And the game is just a gem.

This is a fun take on retro RPG gaming. Looking past the purposefully pixelated graphics, the story is extremely cliche. The combat, artwork, and dungeons more than make up for it. It's also quite long.