Which classic Tri-Ace series do you prefer? Star Ocean or Valkyrie Profile?

[Slatsunus]

Recently I made a thread asking which of Valkyrie Elysium or Star Ocean: The Divine Force would end up doing better critically and commercially.

This is more about which of the two classic IP's you prefer overall, since there both getting new games and there more relevant now then they have been in a very long time I was curious.

 

[AuthenticM]

I have more nostalgia for Star Ocean 2 as I played it when it came out, whereas I played Valkyrie Profile in the mid 2000s. So that. But make no mistake, I love VP1.

 

[aett]

Both series only have one game each that I actually enjoy (so far! Prove me wrong, S-E, prove me wrong), and I like VP1 much better than SO2, so VP wins.

 

[psynergyadept]

Always loved Star Ocean more; started with 3 and now own all the games so far!

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Valkyrie Profile was the better series, even before SO3 murdered the Star Ocean franchise forever and then SO4 dug up the corpse and threw it into a volcano.

Unfortunately now Elysium seems set to murder Valkyrie too, so we all lose at the end of the day.

 

[Android Sophia]

I've enjoyed both, despite the writing of Star Ocean 3 and 4.

However, the Valkyrie Profile games have been significantly higher quality across the board, and I love VP1. So that gets my vote.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

I personally hold fonder memories of Star Oceans 1 thru 3 than Valkyrie Profile. I played but did not like Star Oceans 4 and 5. And for the record, I was younger when Star Ocean 3 came out and I played it, and I wasn't affected by the game's big plot twist as badly as I think other fans were at the time and I'm too afraid to visit it at my current age out of fear that I'll just end up hating it too.

... but I've only played Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, so I guess that checks out.

 

[Gacha Santa Alter]

I love both and the best game to come out of the two series is Valkyrie Profile 2, but my answer is Star Ocean. There's just something about the combat in 2-4 (even 5 at times) that keeps me engaged.

 

[Ferrio]

Valkyrie Profile 2 has the best turned based JRPG combat ever, so that one.

 

[The Riot Inside]

Star Ocean but only because I usually find the combat systems more fun plus I played 2nd Story first. I think VP has infinitely better writing though.

 

[super moustique]

Used to be SO but it's VP now.

 

[Slatsunus]

Valkyrie Profile was the better series, even before SO3 murdered the Star Ocean franchise forever and then SO4 dug up the corpse and threw it into a volcano.

Unfortunately now Elysium seems set to murder Valkyrie too, so we all lose at the end of the day.

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SO3 struck a mortal blow to the series with an infamously hated plot twist, I see nothing in Elysium to indicate anything like that.

I know you have preemptively decided it's a "button masher" no depth action game or whatever. But even on the most basic level the snippets of tone/character/story are nowhere near the clown car shit every SO past two has done.

I'd even go so far as to say it's tone and music so far matches VP1 pretty much exactly

 

[Rats]

I never played either but Valkyrie Profile always seemed cooler, lol.

 

[AnimasPaine]

Star Ocean, but I'm more excited for Elysium. They really messed up with Integrity and Faithlessness.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

SO3 struck a mortal blow to the series with an infamously hated plot twist, I see nothing in Elysium to indicate anything like that.

I know you have preemptively decided it's a "button masher" no depth action game or whatever. But even on the most basic level the snippets of tone/character/story are nowhere near the clown car shit every SO past two has done.

I'd even go so far as to say it's tone and music so far matches VP1 pretty much exactly

Click to shrink...

SO3's ending was indeed the big reason SO has been shit ever since - both 4 and 5 seemed to go out of their way to try and avoid moving the timeline past SO3, and as far as I'm aware the same holds true for 6. Tri-Ace is desperately trying to pretend the Eternal Sphere never happened.

As for Elysium, meh. The music might sound fine, but gameplay changes can ruin a franchise just as much as a poor story decision. Sometimes moreso.

 

[lordshadow19]

I have to say, the 1st Valkyrie Profile game for the PS1 is easily my favorite Tri-Ace game, loved the characters, loved the villains, and Lezard Valeth was the best.

 

[skillzilla81]

Valkyrie Profile 2 has the best turned based JRPG combat ever, so that one.

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This.

 

[Eidan]

I've liked two Valkyrie Profile games, and just one Star Ocean, so VP wins.

 

[Uniomni]

VP is imo the greatest jrpg ever made so it wins this for them alone.

Now I like SO2 more than Silmeria but SO3 offended me and 4+5 need not be spoken of.

So VP, which means my fears of Elysium are gigantic.

If only Square gave a quarter of the FF7 R budget to Soleil. FF7 is not worth all this hubbub

 

[Slatsunus]

SO3's ending was indeed the big reason SO has been shit ever since - both 4 and 5 seemed to go out of their way to try and avoid moving the timeline past SO3, and as far as I'm aware the same holds true for 6. Tri-Ace is desperately trying to pretend the Eternal Sphere never happened.

As for Elysium, meh. The music might sound fine, but gameplay changes can ruin a franchise just as much as a poor story decision. Sometimes moreso.

Click to shrink...

I think the idea that the combat could be even half as bad as SO3s writing was is a massive reach. Especially when the teams last action game was well liked

 

[RomanticHeroX]

Star Ocean 2 is the only good game in that series. 3 has its moments, but everything after 3 has been offensively bad, enough to taint the name through and through. Valkyrie Profile is an iconic PS1 RPG to me, and though the sequels weren't as compelling, they're at least quality games. Valkyrie Profile has to take it by sheer virtue of not sinking so very low.

 

[Sparkedglory2]

I played star ocean first and it resonated more since I have a thing for space, but I have always been interested in Valkyrie Profile as well.

 

[Schopenhauer]

Definitely VP. I find the whole fantasy game parading as a sci-fi game thing that Star Ocean does pretty disappointing.

 

[Slatsunus]

Definitely VP. I find the whole fantasy game parading as a sci-fi game thing that Star Ocean does pretty disappointing.

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It feels like Xenosaga/Blade took a lot of SO's science fantasy territory

 

[Dogui]

VP is probably a top 10 favorite game ever, but i like SO 2/3/4 more than VP2 or CotP.

 

[Einbroch]

VP is a better game than all the Star Oceans but I LIKE Star Ocean more.

 

[Tohsaka]

I like both, but SO gets my vote if only by virtue of having more games. I also liked 1-3 a lot in general.

 

[Schopenhauer]

It feels like Xenosaga/Blade took a lot of SO's science fantasy territory

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Very true. Modern jrpgs w/ sci-fi settings are pretty rare and SO has largely squandered its opportunities to exploit that fact.

Who knows, maybe Divine Force will be different.

 

[double_heist]

Star Ocean all the way baby

 

[The Praiseworthy]

The Sci-fi anime unique feelings and atmosphere with very colorful beautiful art direction and design mixed with one of the most fun and addictive battle system in the genre not making it my favorite Tri-Ace series only but one of my overall.

 

[GarudaSmiles]

Valkyrie Profile, but I don't have faith in Elysium. The previous games had unique turn based combat systems focused on teamwork. Elysium looks like a big standard action game. I'll check it out at a steep discount down the line. Star Ocean 6 looks to have decent combat, and exploration so I'm more into it.

 

[Slatsunus]

I like both, but SO gets my vote if only by virtue of having more games. I also liked 1-3 a lot in general.

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But like half of those games are really bad :P

 

[Modest_Modsoul]

Star Ocean has the most consistency of being traditional JRPG for me.

 

[Tohsaka]

But like half of those games are really bad :P

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I think 1-3 are genuinely good. A lot of people hate 3 because of the twist but it's whatever for me, not the first time that concept has been used in fiction. 4 and 5 were both crippled by low budgets, among other things. I remember having to backwards disc swap in the 360 version of 4 to revisit earlier planets later in the game, that was certainly annoying.

 

[TheWildCard]

Valkyrie by far, the Star Ocean games I've played always disappointed me in some way. Though I haven't tried SO2, which is apparently the good one lol

 

[Qvoth]

VP, the combo system is fun man

 

[CRIMSON-XIII]

Star Ocean 3, Valkyrie Profile 2, Radiata Stories

The Tri-ACES

 

[SageShinigami]

Star Ocean has never hit its full potential, but I still love SO2 and SO3. And if it reached its potential, it'd be something I couldn't get anywhere else.

 

[Hippopuncher12]

Star Ocean, I've liked every game except the last one.

 

[Dice]

Star Ocean has never hit its full potential, but I still love SO2 and SO3. And if it reached its potential, it'd be something I couldn't get anywhere else.

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Yeah I feel this completely.

VP has a few really solid titles under it's belt meanwhile. Less of it, and the new game isn't even by them right?

 

[Atom]

VP for sure. VP1 is great, and VP2, while more conventional is still decent with an awesome final act. Super excited to see what Soleil does with Elysium and given the outpourings of positivity could see it becoming a cult hit in a Nier sort of vein even if it's not a runaway success.

Yeah I feel this completely.

VP has a few really solid titles under it's belt meanwhile. Less of it, and the new game isn't even by them right?

Click to shrink...

It's by the Ninja Gaiden Black/II devs, seemingly borrowing a lot of the elements of the older titles and translating them into something more akin to character action.

On the one hand it's not tri-Ace. On the other, tri-Ace hasn't really made a good to great game in a decade, even if maybe not through any fault of their own.

Tbh more worried about the story/narrative and overall game structure than any moment to moment gameplay. VP2 was a departure in that regard, and while the tone of the new game feels more akin to VP1, I hope it's not just linear levels with combat arenas.

 

[GarudaSmiles]

Star Ocean 3, Valkyrie Profile 2, Radiata Stories

The Tri-ACES

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PS2 era tri-ace were the peak, it was all downhill from there. Resonance of Fate was decent though.

 

[Ravage]

Star Ocean has never hit its full potential, but I still love SO2 and SO3. And if it reached its potential, it'd be something I couldn't get anywhere else.

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I wish triAce would examine what made SO3 combat so great. The fury gauge was incredibly innovative and elegant for its time and predates the stamina system employed by so many Souls-like games these days.

There's so much room to refine it further

 

[Valkerion]

I've never beaten a VP Game but I enjoyed the time I had with them aside from their weird hump of pointless merky mechanics like recruiting restrictions and obtuse combat in 2.

Star Ocean I've beaten several entries in and outside the overall premise being cool I end up disappointed each time. The high technology space theme immediately being tossed in the can each game (aside from4 I guess) to be stranded on a generic jrpg world always left me feeling that the series could do more with its setup but refuses to. Also their penchant for shockingly annoying character archetypes…

I'd rather them go in on VP like they did with 2 and make something interesting and not a hassle to play than keep striking at mediocrity in SO.

Still I'll keep my eye on both. Despite not liking SO it does catch my attention

 

[Hu3]

Unfortunately now Elysium seems set to murder Valkyrie too, so we all lose at the end of the day.

Click to shrink...

Watch the game review and sell well.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Watch the game review and sell well.

Click to shrink...

It absolutely won't sell well, and I'm sure it won't review that great either. In fact, I'd even go so far as to say it'll almost definitely sell worse than Stranger of Paradise, since unlike SoP it won't even have memes to buoy it. It'll be another game on the bonfire of Square Enix AA games that nobody really cares about outside of forums.

 

[GamerJM]

I've enjoyed every Star Ocean game a lot except for the first one, which is okay but kind of overly simplistic.

The only Valkyrie Profile game I ever played was the first, and the way that game was structured stressed me out. I hated how limited the time periods were. Battle system and narrative are fine but nothing special. Gorgeous spritework though.

 

[Zolbrod]

The original Valkyrie Profile is better than anything Star Ocean ever did. Can't wait to replay it again on current gen consoles!

 

[SolVanderlyn]

Star Ocean 2 has a certain magic mojo that none of the others have managed to replicate, but I love that one entry so much I'm going to choose SO based on that alone.

That said, I have two addendums to add:

One, I definitely adore the VP franchise as well. The pervading melancholy is - you know what, just read this old blog post I wrote gushing about it.

Two, I managed to find varying levels of enjoyment in every other SO entry as well. 1 came the closest to matching SO2's "vibe," or "feel," or "magic juice" or whatever it is that made it so appealing, but I even managed to unironically enjoy 4 despite all of its obvious shortcomings. It doesn't help that it felt fantastic to play and that it looked gorgeous for the time, dollfaces aside.

Something about SO2, though, man. Maybe it was the dreamlike music?

 

[inner-G]

I could never get into Valkyrie Profile 1 or 2, and the only SO I really played was 3. I liked it at the time but it's not the greatest in retrospect.