Star Ocean: The Last Hope International IGN Review

[Mendicate Bias]

Closing Comments
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is a great JRPG and the inclusion of the original Japanese language track is always a welcome addition, especially when dealing with very Japanese characters.

Even though the game suffers from some visual issues, and save point infrequency can be a huge annoyance, I loved playing Last Hope. The battle system is tremendously entertaining, the cast is a charming ensemble of travelers and the Private Actions continue to fuel proper character development and demonstrate the beauty of optional antics. Although Final Fantasy XIII is right around the corner, Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is a must-play for all you JRPG nuts.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
7.0	Presentation A long, enjoyable story inhabited by a diverse cast. Occasional technical issues like framerate drops and pop-in are an annoyance. Poor save point locations are even worse.
7.0	Graphics Character models look good, but the environments leave something to be desired. Visual effects in battle are nice.
8.5	Sound The Japanese language track really helps this time around. Musical score is more than enjoyable and fitting for the various game settings presented.
8.5	Gameplay The battle system of Last Hope is superb, with action, strategy and level grinding aplenty. Star Ocean staples like item creation and Private Actions return in fine form.
8.5	Lasting Appeal Last Hope is an incredibly long game with plenty to do. There's also more than enough reason to go back and play again.
8.5 Great	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Just for reference Star Ocean: The Last Hope for 360 scored an 8.0 although the games were reviewed by two different people and the 360 reviewer seemed to have been irked by the technical issues a bit more.

Overall the inclusion of the Japanese language track seems to have really enhanced the overall experience for International.

Seems to be a must have for any JRPG fan.