Three Sixty Thursday

Welcome back! So, Thursdays are going to actually switch up as weeks go by. This week I'll be talking about an Xbox360 game that I like. Next week, it'll be "Triple Thursday" and I'll talk about a PS3 game. Week after that will be " 'Tendo Thursday" with the Wii. But enough about the weeks ahead. Let's focus on the week at hand!

THREE SIXTY THURSDAY: STAR OCEAN THE LAST HOPE

This week I'll be talking about probably the last good RPG that Square Enix made for the 360. And don't get me started on FF13. I'm a fan, but that only goes so far before my brain starts to hemorrhage. So, this game does have its strong and weak points, and I'll be brief on both sides.

Strong Points

One of the strongest points in this game which they didn't have in the 3rd game (PS2), is the ability to bring in one of your backup characters from your party when everyone in your current party has died. It really does help, especially in post-game dungeons. Also, I do like the story here. Even though it's a little bit short for being a 3-disc game, it actually does hold up pretty well. The synthesizing and item creation as a whole also took a turn for the better in this game as well. Now you don't have to grind your butt off for money just to synth that last stat onto a weapon. Unfortunately...

Weak Points

Item Creation also took a turn for the worse. When you go to invent something, you don't actually invent the item itself. You instead create the "recipe" for the item. You then have to go out and get the items necessary to create said item, which can get VERY annoying, especially if you're an achievement hunter. Also, the post-game dungeons took a step down as well. There are only two of them, and the deepest one you'll find is only 20 floors. Not only that, but there's a boss every other floor and no save points whatsoever. I would be fine with the no save points, if it weren't for the annoying as hell "missions" for the floors that don't have bosses, but I'll let you look those up on your own time.

Overall, this game does have its weak points, but it is still a game that I enjoyed quite a lot, and you should give it a try as well.