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-:-Aoshi-:-
-:-Star Ocean: Till the End of Time -:-
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time got a pretty raw deal when it was released in Japan. First, it was delayed from fall into spring, giving the developer time to tune the game's battle system and flesh out its story. Then the Square Enix merger happened, shoving its release date back a month. The consequence? A buggy, rushed release that forced an embarrassing recall.
If all goes well, the latest Star Ocean will get fairer treatment in the U.S. An upgraded director's cut release is due in Japan early in 2004, packing in a host of new features�bonus dungeons, a versus combat mode, even two new characters. Hopefully, that will be what American gamers get to play later in the year.
Even if we don't get the director's cut, the third Star Ocean is a sharp RPG package. Its real-time combat system joins the combo-happy action of Valkyrie Profile to a free-roaming 3D battlefield, offering complete control over the attacks and movements of a three-character party. The nonstop flashy juggle attacks mark this as much more than your usual turn-based RPG.
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