Hey. When I write this is going to be a short one at the beginning of blog post it usually turns in to some kind of epic... but this time I don't think it will because I really don't have much to talk about. Gaming has been pretty slow the last few weeks, but I did get one new game. Now you might think I am nuts, but I grabbed another RPG... it may seem strange but I do actually like these games, I just can't seem to focus enough on them to complete them. This time around it is the 4th game of the Star Ocean series. My only real experience with the Star Ocean series is playing a bit of Star Ocean: Second Story on the PS1 and the 2004 PS2 release Star Ocean: Till The End of Time... sometimes known as Star Ocean 3: Till The End of Time.

I actually finished SO3, but I didn't really like the story telling, it seemed too disjointed, maybe I needed to play the other games in the series, but when I discovered, seemingly out of the blue... SPOILERS! that world of Star Ocean was actually a Universe Simulation... SPOILERS! I was thrown for a loop. Also I used a guide that told me how to create the most powerful sword in the game and used it to whoop ass. The game had a cool battle system which had a unique way of building attack power. You actually canceled your special attacks in to other attacks for up to a 300% damage bonus, the problem is you could not attack downed enemies. Another problem in SO3 was the Bonus Battle meter that was used to give battle bonuses like double/triple EXP or extra money. It fills quickly if you are fighting enemies that are higher in level than you but refuses to budge if you are higher. SO3 is one of those RPGs where your level is extremely important, if you are too low than you are in for a hell of a fight. Not being able to trigger the Bonus Battle and triple EXP makes leveling extremely arduous.

Why did I just repeat my feelings on a game from 2004? Because there are a few things that have been fixed in SO4 that make the game much more enjoyable. First instead of a Bonus Battle meter that you have to fill, you get bonuses added to a Bonus Board based on how you defeat enemies. Kill one with ONLY your special move and you get a small health boost after the fight, kill multiple enemies at once and get 10% more Fol (Money) and if you land a critical hit as the finishing blow you get a 10% EXP boost. Up to 14 of these bonuses can be active at any time, so you could be getting up 140% boost to your EXP at the end of battles. The catch if the character under your control takes a critical hit your board gets broken and you can lose the whole entire thing if your bonuses aren't linked. Bottom line it is a better system than the Bonus Meter.

I can't really comment of the story telling yet because I am only 6 hours in, but I can tell you that this game has some annoying voice acting... really annoying. The additions of what are called blindsides makes battles really enjoyable. You can charge up in preparation for the monsters upcoming attack with the B button when it fully targets you all you have to do is tilt the movement stick and your character will rush around to the backside of the monster landing a critical hit. Some monsters can counter this, all that means is you have to wait until they start to attack to tilt the stick, though the game give you an indicator to know when that is. It really awesome to watch your character in slow motion zip around behind the monster leaving it wide open to attack.

So far I am actually liking the game and after playing The Last Remnant I appreciate SO4's fast loading times and solid frame rate. I'll have more on the game soon, but I think that covers my first impressions anyway. I'm not sure what exactly is coming up next for me, but I will cover whatever I get into when it shows up. Star Ocean, here we come! Loading Complete!