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Which classic Tri-Ace series do you prefer? Star Ocean or Valkyrie Profile?
- Thread starter Slatsunus
- Start date
SO3's battle system was definitely misunderstood and had universal defensive mechanics for both players and enemies (with no exception) to allow for skill based play. I was very disappointed when SO4 basically threw all of that out and their solution to stop stunlocks was to just have the boss gain super armor during the fight.
VP1 had lovely emotional depth and resonance, VP2 had the unparalleled battle system.
I've enjoyed all the Star Oceans but they've never quite hit the highs of Valkyrie Profile.
Plus the whole VP aesthetic is gorgeous. SO tends to be an unabashed hogepoge of anime tropes.
It's crazy how much potential is there. The whole sci-fi space opera jrpg is novel itself it's just in serious need of a serious scenario writer. Writers in general that can leverage the concept. The actual game systems already in place are nearly perfect.
I've enjoyed all the Star Oceans but they've never quite hit the highs of Valkyrie Profile.
Plus the whole VP aesthetic is gorgeous. SO tends to be an unabashed hogepoge of anime tropes.
It's crazy how much potential is there. The whole sci-fi space opera jrpg is novel itself it's just in serious need of a serious scenario writer. Writers in general that can leverage the concept. The actual game systems already in place are nearly perfect.
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That was my main issue with SO4 too, together with the stupid tacked-on Blindside mechanic that ripped you out of the real time combat. The atrocious cast and writing didn't help matters one bit.
Universal mechanics are fantastic for strategic and intuitive gameplay, and I wish it's more ubiquitous since I don't really enjoy Soulsborne combat.
Valkyrie Profile is more interesting gameplay-wise, as it features a good amount of platforming challenges and puzzles in the games. Plus the battle system feels a bit more solid.
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The writing quality difference between the two always baffled me. How can Covenant of Plume have a better written story then all but like 1 SO game? The gap is so big it's confusing
Star Ocean is a series where I loved the early games and thought it had huge potential as a space opera series, until SO4 happened and then SO5 doubled down on it.
Valkyrie Profile I'm less familiar with, I've only played the PSP one, but it can't be as bad as modern Star Ocean, so that.
Valkyrie Profile I'm less familiar with, I've only played the PSP one, but it can't be as bad as modern Star Ocean, so that.
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SO4 felt like the only one that actually tried to be a Space Opera jrpg. 1 and 2 especially are fantasy jrpgs with only lip service paid to any space elements
That's true, I meant more that the characters, script and story of SO4 were dire, but sure, it felt more 'space opera' than the earlier ones given its initial premise of space exploration
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Star Ocean 2 is tied with Xenogears for one of my favorite RPGs from when I was a kid. The rest of the series though...
It's one of my favorite OSTs. There's just also yeah, something else about it. The branching paths, different characters you could recruit, weirdly complex skill system that let you steal from NPCs or do Iron Chef-esque food battles, private actions that gave little glimpses into character development. I don't know. It all just worked.
I love the weird stuff that Valkyrie Profile 1 does with its paths, story, and difficulty, but I don't actually like playing it.
Not a fan of Star Ocean the series, but I have a soft spot for Star Ocean 2. Which, of course, is the hardest game to get in English these days.
Not a fan of Star Ocean the series, but I have a soft spot for Star Ocean 2. Which, of course, is the hardest game to get in English these days.
I've played about 30 minutes of a Star Ocean game and none of the Valkyrie Profile games, so I guess it's Star Ocean.
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SO3 was the start of going off the nut, and that was before 2/3 of the VP games were made.
I get what you mean though. 4 was when things got dire
I would be over the moon if they did a Second Evolution R the same way they did First Departure. The new portraits and original voices were so cool. Also, you know... availability
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I'm not very familiar with the VP series at all which means my picks SO by default. SO's an rpg while VP is... I don't actually know, thats how lil I know about that series x.x I heard about that series back in the day and again when it got a PSP port but for whatever reason it just never caught my eye.
The first Valkyrie Profile resonated with me so much it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that its one of the most influential games I've ever played in my life. It's just that good for me personally.