Mon, Feb 09, 2009 | 10:11 GMT
Square alters Star Ocean design for western release
In an apparent effort to cater to western tastes, Square Enix has produced two HUD designs for Star Ocean: The Last Hope, one for Japan and one for the US and Europe.
As you can see on Siliconera, the western release features CG models for characters in the fight scenes, whereas the Japanese version’s gone for an anime look.
The menus are different, too.
Push yourself back from the edge of your seat and hit the link for more detail.
16 
Posted in: America, Europe, Japan, RPG, Square Enix, Xbox 360
Tags: Star Ocean The Last Hope
16 comments
#1
Blerk
09/02/09, 10:33 am
Seems like a pretty bizarre thing to do. Do they really thing that the kind of people who’d be interested in a Star Ocean game would somehow be put off by a few anime portraits?
#2
Patrick Garratt
09/02/09, 10:34 am
“Square Enix battleplan 2009, internal use only:
GET YANKEE DOLLAR.”
#3
Psychotext
09/02/09, 10:39 am
I wouldn’t be put off… but I do prefer the western design.
#4
Blerk
09/02/09, 10:41 am
The Japanese portraits look kind of Tales-esque, whereas the Western ones remind me more of Valkyrie Profile.
I don’t mind either, tbh.
#5
absolutezero
09/02/09, 10:50 am
I prefer the JP one to be honest, but thats because I prefer the Tales games to Star Ocean. I wonder if they’ve taken on the complaints about the never ending shouting of move names.
SPHERE OF MIGHT SPHERE OF MIGHT SPHERE OF MIGHT
#6
Gekidami
09/02/09, 10:51 am
They had to change it really, recent studies show that unprepared westerners could die of a sudden exposure to anime/manga, their heads just exsplode due to such a massive culteral difference.
#7
evilashchris
09/02/09, 12:03 pm
I prefer the western one too, It’s a tad less gay.
#8
Gekidami
09/02/09, 12:08 pm
Well the western ones do fit better, having those anime-looking pictures in a game that dosnt really reflect any other anime elements (apart from being Japanese) is abit odd.
#9
Mike
09/02/09, 12:47 pm
I prefer the Western styling myself.
#10
DaMan
09/02/09, 12:54 pm
damn, this is fucked up.
is it the same for EU version?
#11
crippledhooba
09/02/09, 1:23 pm
I like both, they both look good in different ways.
#12
ecu
09/02/09, 5:48 pm
The Japanese anime designs look better, but the actual menu screen looks better for the Western release. Hmm..
Any reason why they couldn’t just include both?
#13
Mike
09/02/09, 6:18 pm
The amine designs look to cute, clean and cartoony. I like the more detailed Western ones.
#14
ecu
09/02/09, 6:22 pm
It’s nice in its original design though, which is how I like it. Don’t know why they could have full screen/detailed anime images, like Tales of Phantasia does.
#15
Mike
09/02/09, 6:25 pm
I’m bias though. I hate Manga/Anime “artwork” in general.
#16
ruckus
09/02/09, 7:49 pm
“Pesmerga00 also discovered the character portraits accompanying dialogue vanished in the English version. I couldn’t find a good comparison screen in my batch of media, but going by the other changes I wouldn’t be surprised to see those removed too.”
epic fail, sucktacula etc. if true.