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Availability:
Only 1 left in stock, order soon!
Arrives
Friday, Oct 2
Features
- Highly anticipated PSP remake of the original Star Ocean that was never released in the United States
- Classic RPG action with private actions that alter the outcome of future actions
- Enhanced game play and more dynamic battle features, as well as new playable characters
- New artwork and animation make for beautiful backgrounds and cut-scenes
- Item creation system and skill system allow for character development throughout the story
Description
Star Ocean: First Departure chronicles mankind's journey into space and the adventures that await them there. Space Date 346: The crew of a Terran Federation ship arrives on the planet Roak. With the help of a stalwart band of local heroes, the crew must work together to unravel a mystery and halt a galactic war. This release marks the first time that the initial installment in the popular STAR OCEAN franchise is available in North America.
Number of Players: 1
Publication Date: October 21, 2008
Computer Platform: Sony PSP
Global Trade Identification Number: 99
UPC: 662248908199
Compatible Video Game Console Models: Sony PlayStation Portable
Release date: October 21, 2008
Product Dimensions: 6.75 x 4 x 0.5 inches; 2.4 ounces
Type of item: Video Game
Language: English
Rated: Teen
Item model number:
Item Weight: 2.4 ounces
Manufacturer: Square Enix
Date First Available: July 7, 2004
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Friday, Oct 2
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
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Top Amazon Reviews
I am currently half way through this game and enjoying it as much as— if not more than— Star Ocean 2. Those of you not familiar with Tri-Ace Star Ocean series (and I am basing the following explanation on Star Ocean 1-3), they feature mostly non-serious stories in a Star Trek-like universe, where the Galactic Federation decrees that people from “developed” planets— those that created advanced technology and space travel— are required to conceal their technology if they happen to visit people that populate undeveloped planets. Most of these “undeveloped” planets feature humanoid races, and the frequently utilized JRPG pseudo-Medieval fantasy environment. A lot of players come into this series expecting a true science fiction story, and are often disappointed to find that the majority of their time is spent on the undeveloped “backwater” planets. However, if you are willing to accept this as a condition and enjoy the series’ environments and atmosphere, you are sure to enjoy it. For years, fans have been wishing for another Star Ocean game that plays like Star Ocean 2, and they finally got that game in the SO1 remake. Its battle and item creation system is pretty much exactly like that of SO2. That said, you get a semi-active battle field (or fully active if you wish), with each character featuring their own specialties—mainly a variation of warrior or mage/healer, though they tend to be interesting ones, with each character having his or her own characteristic magic or techniques. Some are a bit duplicative, especially the mages, but this is because the game keeps in mind that some characters are missable. And, of course, there’s the easy to break, very addictive item creation system. As for difficulty; SO2 feature uneven difficulty, with sharp and unexpected spikes in certain areas. I can’t tell you about SO1 because, as mentioned, I fully utilized the breakable item creation system so that the game so far had been fairly easy. The relationship/affection system that determines which ending you will get also makes a comeback (if it wasn’t there in the original), though I am guessing that it only affects the other characters’ relationship to the main character, like in SO3, rather than how all characters feel about each other, like in SO2. Then again, the books in SO1 do affect everyone, so I’m not sure about that. There’s plenty of private actions, some of them directly related to the main story. I especially liked it when there is a follow up on Phia’s story when she meets Cyuss in a PA. So far, I prefer the world of Star Ocean 1 to that of Star Ocean 2. The backgrounds are very pretty in both games, but I find Star Ocean 1’s environments to be more interesting, whether it is a backwater town focused on growing apples, a town of artists or musicians, or a town of desert warriors. Right now I’m spending time on a continent that principally features autumnal colors, which is truly lovely and reminds me of the east coast of the United States. And what about the music? In this category, Star Ocean 2 and 3 are vastly superior to Star Ocean 1. With a few rare exceptions, SO1’s tunes are mostly forgettable. Just put on the headphones with something else (maybe a playlist of your favorite SO2 or SO3 music) and enjoy. The stories in all these Star Ocean games are fairly lightweight. There is a rather simple overarching plot that may or may not feature a few basic plot twists—some of them pretty good, others truly dumb-- and the more sci-fi device of time and/or extra-dimensional travel. If you are willing to bet that the future or other dimensions are almost exactly like the current universe, you will be right. The plots are rather episodic as well. Once the principle danger is articulated, the story progression is disjointed and episodic. Your party explores a backwater medieval planet, either seeking to investigate the mysteries and/or rejoin their former companions while discovering new ones. Given this fact, the story is only as enjoyable as the cast of characters. And while your main protagonists in every SO game are the usual dumb teenagers, the supporting cast tends to be a bit more varied and may even feature a few adult and/or eccentric characters. Of course, the usual precocious kid and/or occasional eye-rollingly hyper catgirl may crop up, but they are mostly optional. In my opinion Star Ocean 1 and SO 3 are somewhat superior to Star Ocean 2 in that you only have to lug around one teenager for at least half of the game, while the rest of the cast feature young adults or adults, most of them mature, serious, or tough characters, with the occasional eccentric (Ashton and Noel) or carefree snarker (i.e. SO3’s Cliff) thrown in. At least, I generally prefer the company of SO1’s young adults to the mostly more youthful starting cast of SO2. SO1 also features… well, your mileage may vary, but if you wish you can have 17-years old Roddick continually flirt with the young woman who will eventually become Claude’s mother, and maybe even have Claude’s father prefer another woman. Claude is the main character of Star Ocean 2, so if you really dislike him you can try your best to have the two characters who clearly become his parents not get together. Keep in mind that you will fail to do so. Last, but not least, the remake features quite a few animated cutscenes and fully voice acted scenes. The voices are usually pretty good but not great, so you may want to lower the volume if you don’t like them. In sum, highly recommended to fans of SO2, and recommended in general as a fun game with the nostalgic feel of old RPGs.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2019 by HL
Overall: 5 Graphics: 4 Controls: 4 Sound: 5 Extras: 1 If you played Star Ocean: The Second Story on the PlayStation, then you will feel right at home with this game. OVERALL: Star Ocean: First Departure is a remastered adaptation of the first Star Ocean game on the Super Famicom (the Japanese SNES) which never made it to the western world. Aside from allowing those of us who never played the original import to experience the first game of this excellent series, all new graphics and nicely done voice overs along with new cinematic cut-scenes create a wonderful gaming experience that fits nicely onto the PSP with extremely short load times. The ability to save anywhere on the world map allows for portability of the game, which is somewhat unique to RPG titles, but is slowly becoming more popular. GRAPHICS: The graphics of the game are identical to Star Ocean: The Second Story from the PlayStation, because the same engine was used. The characters are rendered in sprites, while conversations show the new character art. Animated cut-scenes, along with prerendered environment backgrounds and 3D battle fields for combat gives the game a solid feel overall. SOUND: The sound is very reminiscent of the PlayStation 2 game Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, with fully voiced dialogue. As long as you are using moderately decent headphones it will be a rich experience, while the built in speakers will give it a tinny aspect. CONTROLS: The controls are nearly identical to those of other Star Ocean games, and that is a good thing. They become intuitive very quickly, and are relatively simple. Just experimenting with the game is enough to learn the controls. Combat is the same as in SO:TSS from the PlayStation rendered in 2D with sprites in a tilted view aspect to give a perception of depth, and will even feel familiar to those who played SO:TtEoT. EXTRAS: There really is only one extra in this game. You have the ability to watch the cinematic cut-scenes from the main menu once they've been viewed in game.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2010 by Master Zoen
Pros -Good starter for casual gamers -Cool character development -Beautiful backgrounds and cities Cons -Terribly long time to get from one city to the next via walking -Almost no side quests -Very short -Random battles -Always the same kind of monster, just different color -Terrible story, could be loads better, I could think of a thousand I bought this game, a few months after finishing off the third game on the PS2. I though the third one was fantastic and was just a really great long RPG game. I wanted to see where the game gave birth from. So I went to this game to check it out. I was completely ready to understand the fact that it was made in 1996 and this was a remake. I was ready to see a short RPG. But this was a real doozie. I don't know how they ever took off. The story is boring, everybody looks the same. Namely the guards, all look like Ronyx. Theres like one side quest, and it's pretty short, the game itself is pretty short, every single battle is basically the same one as the last area, accept now it's orange instead of green. But like I said before, it has really great looking cities, and ... a few bosses. There really wasn't that many bosses at all. It just wasn't the best of games. This is one of my about 180 games, and theres only three games that I hated this much. Star Ocean: The first Departure, Enchanted Arms for PS3, and Final Fantasy Tactics: The war of Lions for PSP. All horribly made games.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2009 by Ann Marie Dewitt
if your used to going into battle FF style, this is the game for you. for all those people who get tired of the first few encounters being so static, don't buy. Sure, this game does feature a more entuitive battle system than FF, but after leveling up after several encounters makes you tolerant of the enemies attacks. The game is only one player, so don't go trying the Mlan switch, but do expect to want to play the game over again, or want to have the strategy guide. this game has a built in Personal Action system that basically takes your response and either help you or go against your will, and what you say earlier on can effect later Personal Actions. The story itself doesn't exactly fit the title, but still, nonetheless, is a great story: this was a game that seemed like a way better star wars for video games; however, it definitely didn't expand the industry like star wars did for movies. lastly, if you do not like anime stylized art or cut scenes, you should buy this. At least I laugh each time I see the second opening cutscene because it sounds like the girl that is running is doing something else.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2010 by Kevin D. Gould
I'm a huge fan of "Star Ocean: The Second Story", so when I heard its predecessor came out, I had to give it a try. The battle system is identical to the Second Story, except for the addition of a 3 attack combo you can perform by pressing the attack button in succession (which is great if you're doing level grinding and want to conserve MP). The technique's you assign to the L and R buttons in my opinion are a lot better in this game than Star Ocean 2. They're virtually identical, except this time gaining proficiency when you have a Secret Fighting Technique (SFT) in the ability menu allows the character to unlock powerful new techniques (such as Ilia's Tortoise Smash from Explosive Kick). Most of these new techniques hit the enemy an insane number of times and cause daze, rendering opponents towards the latter half of the game pretty helpless if you have a lot of Melee fighters in your party. The voice acting in battle is a bit repetitive, but so was the voice acting in Star Ocean 2. The story isn't incredibly deep, but it's not as shallow as some people claim. Performing Private actions in towns are pretty hilarious most of the time and adds a lot more depth to the story (and changes the ending for different characters based on your actions). My only major problem with the game is that it doesn't have a world map you can go to. It's great when the game tells you to go a certain town, but if you're like me, you'll probably forget which of the red dots on the mini map is the town you're looking for. The shining point of the game for me is really the character recruitment and weapon customization. If you level up the customization ability and modify one of your older weapons with a decent mineral, you normally create an absurdly good weapon, which eliminates all the level grinding. There are a ton of great weapons that can only be made this way and feels less constricted than in SO2. the character recruitment is surprisingly complex if you hope to recruit Erys (the original form of Mavelle). I'm currently playing through again just to try out some of the characters I never recruited before and get more backstory on them. Overall, it's an outstanding game if you were a big fan of the Playstation game, and an RPG fan in general. The battle system of star ocean makes random battles kind of enjoyable at times. The extra dungeon at the end of the game has great weapons exclusive to the remake and the secret boss you get from playing the "Devil's Aria" is deadly. Anyone who would like some background into the Star Ocean universe would be very pleased.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2009 by the tie
i received a product that was broken/did not work when a opened the package is was very disappointing. I like cheese.
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2013 by Adam
good transaction but the game itself wasn't what I was expecting. The game gets 3 stars from me... It was just very... lame... I bought it cause I thought it was an action-rpg but instead its like a mix of both turn based RPGs and action RPGs... plus random encounters suck alot...
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2012 by Alex Gomez
I played this on a ROM some time ago when DeJap released their translation patch. I loved it, just thought it needed some polishing. And, honestly, I couldn't be more impressed. I thought the systems in the second Star Ocean were some of the best I've ever seen in an RPG, despite the learning curve, and this game is basically Star Ocean done in the style of the Second Story. I couldn't be happier. The game is beautiful, the environments look fantastic. I always thought the original was a little cramped, and now the areas are much, much larger. The storyline isn't the most original, by any means, but it's pretty good for standard RPG fare, and the characters and events have a nostalgic charm that really reminds the player of the classic 16 bit RPGs of yore. The item creation and skill systems, as well as Private Actions, have been updated to the depth of the second game and really add that little something that set The Second Story apart from its contemporaries. All I have left to say is I can't wait for the release of Second Evolution.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2008 by B. Horne