Comments on: STAR OCEAN: First Departure Official Strategy Guide http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide Sat, 20 Mar 2010 16:08:17 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: K. V. Tipsin http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide/comment-page-1#comment-89 K. V. Tipsin Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:35:16 +0000 http://bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide#comment-89 Good solid guide with some flaws and drawbacks. The in-game maps are very useful, item locations are good, boss strategies, weapon and armor locations, bestiary, so it's got it all. Why did I give it three stars? The layout. I mean the guide itself is very straight-forward, but sometimes you may spend 10 minutes trying to find one page, or a specific section. The table of contents serves well, although it doesn't seem to involve everything. This guide is good, and its much better then checking GameFAQs every 10 seconds, and with this game you will need a guide for sure. If you have the game, get this guide, it's solid, and with some patience it is usable. Bradygames is a good company, much better then the idiots over at Prima. :) Anyway, this is the only guide around, so it's this or constant internet checking, and trust someone who's far in this game, you WILL need a guide. Unless you want to spend hours looking for one town or the exact location you're supposed to go. Plus it's very useful to have a character guide, helps you determine who to use. Hope this review helps! Rating: 4 / 5 Good solid guide with some flaws and drawbacks. The in-game maps are very useful, item locations are good, boss strategies, weapon and armor locations, bestiary, so it’s got it all. Why did I give it three stars? The layout. I mean the guide itself is very straight-forward, but sometimes you may spend 10 minutes trying to find one page, or a specific section. The table of contents serves well, although it doesn’t seem to involve everything. This guide is good, and its much better then checking GameFAQs every 10 seconds, and with this game you will need a guide for sure. If you have the game, get this guide, it’s solid, and with some patience it is usable. Bradygames is a good company, much better then the idiots over at Prima. :) Anyway, this is the only guide around, so it’s this or constant internet checking, and trust someone who’s far in this game, you WILL need a guide. Unless you want to spend hours looking for one town or the exact location you’re supposed to go. Plus it’s very useful to have a character guide, helps you determine who to use. Hope this review helps!
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> By: Mir http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide/comment-page-1#comment-88 Mir Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:49:03 +0000 http://bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide#comment-88 This guide is Helpful in some ways and useless in others. I got to the Labyrinth of Trials and got stuck at the area where you select the doors with the moons. I went and got a guide from GameFAQ but the info on that section was un helpful as it is in this guide. that is when i had to do a little more research. Otherwise this guide is quite useful for statistics and as a MAP guide. well worth the money! Rating: 4 / 5 This guide is Helpful in some ways and useless in others. I got to the Labyrinth of Trials and got stuck at the area where you select the doors with the moons. I went and got a guide from GameFAQ but the info on that section was un helpful as it is in this guide. that is when i had to do a little more research. Otherwise this guide is quite useful for statistics and as a MAP guide. well worth the money!
Rating: 4 / 5

]]> By: Daniel Thomann http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide/comment-page-1#comment-87 Daniel Thomann Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:28:06 +0000 http://bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide#comment-87 Back in 1999 i played my first Star Ocean game, the seconde story. It was and is an awsome game and the strategy guide by Bradygames gave me a lot of help. Now being able to play the first ever Star Ocean game is a dream comming true. Only after finishing the game for the first time i had a look in the strategy guide and as so often enjoyed reading a book made by Bradygames. It is a help for beginners and a good book also for the hardcore fans out there. I just can recommend this book to anyone in love with videogames. Rating: 5 / 5 Back in 1999 i played my first Star Ocean game, the seconde story. It was and is an awsome game and the strategy guide by Bradygames gave me a lot of help. Now being able to play the first ever Star Ocean game is a dream comming true. Only after finishing the game for the first time i had a look in the strategy guide and as so often enjoyed reading a book made by Bradygames. It is a help for beginners and a good book also for the hardcore fans out there. I just can recommend this book to anyone in love with videogames.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> By: Brian J. Parker http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide/comment-page-1#comment-86 Brian J. Parker Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:18:10 +0000 http://bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide#comment-86 The game has many plot branches based on which characters you recruit, and the inclusion of "flowcharts" mapping plot choices, recruitable characters, and the game's "Private Actions" makes it much easier to see the long-term consequences of your decisions. <br /> <br />The authors could have chosen a single path, filled pages with charts of weapons, and called it a day. I've certainly seen it with some of the "Tales" series guides, which completely ignore most optional material. Here the authors went the extra mile and covered not just the branching plots, but a lot of "behind the scenes" formulas used to calculate various skills and talents and the hidden "affection ratings" characters have for each other. The optional dungeon gets full coverage, too. <br /> <br />There are a few small issues; the amount of detail can make it hard to see the "big picture" sometimes. But "too much information" is a nitpick at best! <br /> <br />Star Ocean: First Departure is short for an RPG, but very replayable due to the different choices you can make and characters you can recruit. This guide is the best way to get the most out of your game, whether playing once or multiple times. Rating: 5 / 5 The game has many plot branches based on which characters you recruit, and the inclusion of “flowcharts” mapping plot choices, recruitable characters, and the game’s “Private Actions” makes it much easier to see the long-term consequences of your decisions.

The authors could have chosen a single path, filled pages with charts of weapons, and called it a day. I’ve certainly seen it with some of the “Tales” series guides, which completely ignore most optional material. Here the authors went the extra mile and covered not just the branching plots, but a lot of “behind the scenes” formulas used to calculate various skills and talents and the hidden “affection ratings” characters have for each other. The optional dungeon gets full coverage, too.

There are a few small issues; the amount of detail can make it hard to see the “big picture” sometimes. But “too much information” is a nitpick at best!

Star Ocean: First Departure is short for an RPG, but very replayable due to the different choices you can make and characters you can recruit. This guide is the best way to get the most out of your game, whether playing once or multiple times.
Rating: 5 / 5

]]> By: Van Vu http://www.bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide/comment-page-1#comment-85 Van Vu Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:31:29 +0000 http://bioimpact.org/star-ocean-first-departure-official-strategy-guide#comment-85 Book was suppose to be new, but it looks like it was used. Front and back cover was creased pretty bad. So I give it 4/5 service. Rating: 4 / 5 Book was suppose to be new, but it looks like it was used. Front and back cover was creased pretty bad. So I give it 4/5 service.
Rating: 4 / 5

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