Top 20 Best RPG Series of All Time

#18. – Star Ocean

# of Good Games in the Franchise: 3

Active: Yes

Star Ocean was created by former employees of Namco’s Wolf Team (those responsible for Tales of Phantasia on the Super Famicom) and was a fairly big hit in Japan. It wasn’t released outside of that region until a remake on the Sony PSP. Star Ocean 2 (or Star Ocean: The Second Story) was released in the West on the Sony PlayStation but largely underperformed. The third installment, Til the End of Time was also localized but came out on the Sony PlayStation 2. Star Ocean: The Last Hope came out on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in all regions, and the follow up Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithfulness was a PlayStation 4 exclusive. There have been multiple remakes and enhanced ports of the original titles with a sixth installment on the way to the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.

My first exposure to the franchise (as with most English speaking gamers) was Star Ocean the Second Story. To this day it’s one of my favorite RPGs for the PS1. Unfortunately the third installment was one of the worst Japanese role playing games I’ve ever played. I was definitely disappointed. I didn’t have much hope for Star Ocean: The Last Hope but it was great, and one of the best RPGs of the HD era in my opinion despite being incredibly cheesy. Integrity and Faithfulness however was terrible. Tri Ace just can’t get it consistently right. The original game is fun, but it’s remake is incredible. Here’s to hoping the sixth installment is a return to form.

The Best Way to Play:

The remake of the original Star Ocean makes the original obsolete in my opinion. Star Ocean: The Second Story is available only on the PS1 and PSP. It was never made available for the PS Vita via backwards compatibility. This is unfortunate because this game is the entire reason the franchise makes this list at all. It’s absolutely one of the best RPGs of all time. The Last Hope has been re-released on the PS4 so if you have that console I recommend going for this version thanks to the 4K visual upgrade. Star Ocean 3 and 5 are both available on the PS4, but honestly these should be skipped unless you’re a masochist. I really wish they would remaster Star Ocean 2 because that’s the best game in the franchise.