A new title in the Star Ocean series was shown at E3, but not every gamer out there is familiar with the franchise. This could be partly due to the fact that the original Star Ocean game never made it to North American shores. Star Ocean: The Second Story, however, was released over here in 1999 and was highly popular among old-school RPG fans. Now, four years later (actually 400 years later in the storyline itself), the third installment in the series is on its way from Japan to North American retail shelves.

So, what's it all about? Well, Star Ocean: Till the End of Time is a somewhat futuristic RPG that combines the style of old-fashioned RPGs with modern elements. The setting is outer space, and at least four worlds will be explored throughout the course of the game. Very few details are known about the storyline at this point. The main character is a young man known as Fate Linegod, who studies heraldric science at an academy on planet Earth. He is accompanied by his childhood friend, Sophia, who is currently attending high school. Aside from the two main characters, several others have been announced. Souffle Rossetti (don’t ask me how they come up with these names) is a dancer in a group of entertainers that travel the universe. Cliff Fitter is a Claustroian, which is an entirely different species in the Star Ocean universe. Claustroians have keen eyesight and flexibility far superior to that of a human, and are distinguished by three green lines along their necks. Two other characters have been mentioned, including a mysterious female spy known as Nel Zelpher, and a small boy named Roger S. Huxley.

Star Ocean 3's gameplay seems to be quite similar to that found in Star Ocean 2. The skill system and item-creation components seen in The Second Story will be making a return in the sequel. The battle system will also be familiar to SO2 fans. During battle, the player will be able to control one of three characters while the computer controls the other two. At any point in battle, a player will be able to switch between the characters that he controls. Battles are not random here; instead, enemies can be seen and encountered on the field map.

Although little is currently known about the title in-depth, it's a safe bet that Star Ocean: Till the End of Time will be a hit among RPG players everywhere. And there's plenty of time to get excited about this one, since we probably won’t be seeing it until the spring of next year. Although a "late 2003" release date was the original estimate, we all know that the good folks at Enix like to take their time. Let’s hope to see it sometime within the next year.

  
 

· · · Ren