Japanese RPGs are filled with cliches. That's just the way it is. A young man -- usually a teenager -- somehow winds up getting charged with a quest to save the world. We've seen it many times before, and Star Ocean: Second Evolution is no exception. The game is not, however, without fresh elements that make it engaging and enjoyable (or at least they were fresh when the game was originally released in 1999). As you play through as one of the two protagonists, you'll quickly find that there's a whole lot more here than meets the eye.

At the onset of the game you'll be asked to choose either Claude Kenny, a space cadet yearning to get out from under his father's substantial shadow, or Rena Lanford, a young girl who proves to be something of an enigma, looking to discover more about herself and the fate of her planet. The beauty of offering two characters to use as your main is that it's not a mere aesthetic choice: It plays a huge part in how you see the events of the game unfold. Not only does this create replay value, it also gives some added depth to the game's story, allowing players to see how parallel events unfold while off pursuing the objective before you. This approach really brings some extra flair to the game, especially if you're looking for something that has a little more depth than the usual JRPG excursions.


One of the most intriguing elements of the game lies in how you'll recruit new characters to fill out your party. In many games of this nature, new characters just join your party as a matter of course, as they're written into the story in a way that forces them to help you on your quest. That's not always the case here. Though you can recruit new characters, they don't necessarily join your group automatically. You'll find that for some characters you'll have to go through side quests to get them to fall into your ranks. Once they do, that often means that the chance to enlist another character has been eliminated and you won't have the option to go back and try to find someone better for the task at hand. Thus, the decision as to who to bring into the fold is made more significant. If you want to see all potential characters in action before you're done with the game, you'll have to start over and watch the events unfold through the eyes of the second of the game's heroes, making different decisions along the way.

Though the story does try to do some new things with its presentation, that's not where the game shines. Instead, what impressed me was the battle system, which really keeps you in the action and had me coming back for more. Rather than using a turn-based system, everything in Second Evolution is done in real time. As soon as you're in a battle you can start mashing buttons, unleashing torrents of damage onto your foes. This really helps keep things exciting, especially since you can switch between characters on the fly, allowing you to manually balance out the action however you see fit. If that's not enough for you, as you progress through battles, not only will you earn traditional experience points, you'll also earn skill points, which allow you to further customize your character. These skill points can be used on specific abilities that you can unlock through the game, strengthening your characters while also distinguishing them from the rest of the party. The end result is that you can create a fairly diverse group, making each person unique both in and out of battle, creating a force to be reckoned with.

For its PSP release, Star Ocean sees enough upgrades to make it the definitive version of the game. You'll be treated to some hand-animated cut-scenes, new voice work (doing away with the garbled recordings of old) and improved visuals. Second Evolution now uses a proper widescreen ratio, making full use of the PSP display, while the character sprites are crisper and cleaner than seen in its previous release.

Despite these upgrades, there are a few visual bugs. When in battle, you'll sometimes see some slowdown when casting visually intensive spells, and though it's not a frequent occurrence, it's noticeable nonetheless. The largest flaw in the game's visuals has to do with pop-in on the world map. You'll often be right up on a point before the environment pops in, which makes for a jarring experience.

JRPG fans should really enjoy Star Ocean: Second Evolution. Sure, it sticks to the formula in ways we've seen many times before, but at the same time it also deviates in ways that make it more than just another RPG. Clever new storytelling, updated visuals, an unexpected amount of depth and a stellar battle system all make it worth playing. If you're a fan of the series or if you have a PSP just waiting for something new, this blast from the past should keep you entertained for a good long while.