PS2 says goodbye with a bang!
And catch my eye it did - I loved and played the game to bits. That's why upon seeing this game I knew it would be good.
And good it was - very very good. I was a big fan of the Star Ocean series and Rogue Galaxy was able to deliver that space opera feel I've been expecting. Not to say that this is an SO clone, both games have their own shining facets.
Level 5 has been toying around with Cel-Shading graphics and I must say they've become good at it. One look at Zerard is a great example - thank God there were no enemies around as I get to spend much of time looking and walking around, gawking at the scenery. I've also come to love Final Fantasy XII, but damn, Rabanastre is somewhat pale beside the most advanced planet in the galaxy.
Sound is also great, though I've developed a slight annoyance of the music at the title screen. I know I like the music if I keep humming it and yes, it has become shower-singing material. Voice acting is superb, it has certainly captivated me when Jaster was running for his life on his way to leaving the planet Rosa.
Fresh out of playing Final Fantasy XII, Rogue Galaxy has been able to deliver fresh gameplay (especially combat). It is a tad slower when it comes to pacing but all the variety in the mechanics keeps you entertained all throughout (and that coming from a fan of turn-based battles). Insectron was also a good diversion.
A few nitpicks - I've only started but I'm beginning to feel that while the places are huge (and surprisingly seemless, without loading times), I feel that they're too small for a planet (finished Juraika in a couple of hours, and if the people were right when they said there were only around 7 planets, I might end up seeing more of the same place over and over again). Battle chat clips would have been great if they weren't so too spaced out in between.
In the end, it goes to show that the Playstation 2 is far from dead, despite the slew of next-gen games and console pouring in. It's not the next innovation in Role-Playing Games, but who cares about breaking the norm when you're having so much fun?