Star Ocean: Till the End of Time Critic Reviews

If the phenomenal storyline, eye-popping CG cinemas and soulful orchestration weren't enough, the plethora of gameplay nuances and player diversions are sure to make the most jaded gamer giggle like a school girl.

A game for gamers and not just RPG gamers. With a carefully blended mix of strategy, intense real-time combat, customizable characters and weapons, and a rich sci-fi universe to explore, there is literally something here for everyone.

I'm very grateful that Square Enix decided to release the Director's Cut version of the game, and not the original (maybe I should thank the bugs for that?). Maybe now tri-Ace will get the respect it deserved since "Valkyrie Profile."

It's literally an achievement worth every penny. There's an abundance of strategic flavor in the battles, well articulated graphical feats, an apt cementing in sounds, and a nice collection of extras for the truest of role-playing fans -- deep enough to go overboard with more than 80 hours of gameplay.

This is a great game from the first minute on, and you’ll not want to put this game down if you allow yourself to be drawn into the plot.

What proves the game's true claim to greatness is that Star Ocean allows its players to take from it whatever they wish; Be it a quick 40 hours of story-based adventure or a full 80-hours of "find everything you can" exploration.

The storyline does an amazing job of slowly expanding in scope (though it does bog down a bit in the middle of the game, most of the stuff it trudges through stays relevant well after the scope of the game has outgrown the smaller conflict), and the twists will absolutely knock you on your ass, while battles are fast, interesting and offer a nicely customizable way to trudge through the grind of leveling up all your characters.

Due to the variety, the solid gameplay, the interesting story and the sheer length of this game, RPG fans shouldn't hesitate to purchase Till the End of Time. It's a great value.

It's original, action-packed, and boasts a story that is on par with even some of the Final Fantasy series.

Even without the jaw dropping visuals of "Final Fantasy" or "Knights of the Old Republic," the deceptively deep but instantly accessible gameplay proves that Star Ocean can hang with the big boys as more than just a niche title, but as a top-tier franchise.

Hardcore RPG fanatics might want to try this before a buy solely because the real-time battles may not be as appealing to them.

A by the numbers RPG with plenty of leveling up, a great battle system and superb presentation. It doesn’t do anything particularly innovative, but should provide great fun for RPG fans.

This game has one of the best battle engines I have seen in an RPG and it would be an absolute shame for you to miss it!

One of the most epic games you’ll play, and dare I say (oh the fanboys will kill me) it’s better than even the "Final Fantasy" games of late. Here’s looking to number four.

Star Ocean 3 lays out one of the most fun, intriguing and overall best role-playing games not only from just this year, but in any time recently.

The fact that it's the first PS2 game to actually use two DVD discs shows that it's a much larger game than any before it, but it still doesn't live up to what it could have been.

It has an amazing soundtrack, decent enough story and a pretty compelling fight engine. Some novices may find the experience daunting at first but with a little perseverence they'll also find the experience ultimately rewarding.

The game has a strong tendency to drop you in some town or dungeon with no clear idea of where you should go. Coupled with the fact that enemies respawn whenever you exit a room, and navigating becomes quite the chore.

The story kept me interested to the end of the game, and the battles were fast and furious for the sixty-five hours I happily put into it.

A blast for most of the first disc, and then quickly tapered off as the game pulled a "Xenogears," Disc 2 and turned into a movie with button presses. It’s not quite as bad as Xenogears, but still, when you have a story and dialogue that isn’t exactly going to knock your socks off, gameplay is what saves your game’s proverbial bacon.