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star_ocean_fanThe Laziness of the 4D People - Bred Into Them or a Simple Acceptance of How Life Has Become For Them?
The Four-Dimensional Realm. A place of idyllic peace. The world is always white and bright, and entertainment is abundant. In order to work, the young take career placement exams, and, if they score high enough, they'll head to the Lost City to begin work. The most work someone can find in Arkives is security and the Spacetime Station. Work is found in places like Gemity and in the companies who call the Lost City home.
Work is for the privileged, like Luther Lansfeld, his sister Blair, Belzeber, Berial, and Azazer. The rest of the population, however large it may be, doesn't work. Most of the people you talk to don't necessarily want to work. They'd rather hang out at Gemity, dressed in costume, watching the bunny races, playing runic chess, competing in the arena, adventuring in the Eternal Sphere or at their personal terminals in their homes. With the lack of work it makes me wonder a few different things.
1 - How do they pay for their homes, food, rental costumes, and gaming terminals if they're not working? It's obvious that the 4D beings don't live in shelters. Are the homes built by previous generations? Are they on a government stipend? It's always possible. Money is earned in the four-dimensional realm. (You pay for weapon upgrades, restorative items, the hotel in Arkives, etc . . .)
2 - Exactly how deeply is the laziness routed in their culture? Mind you, those who aren't working sit at their terminals all day, are in Gemity all day, having a ball in the Eternal Sphere.
It's this particular question that has me writing this entry. It's obvious that time does pass in the 4D realm. In talking with the NPCs there, you find children, adults, elderly, parents, grandparents, etc. . . In talking with Maria, she'll not only mention how she's noticed that only the privileged work but also voice her thoughts in how the 4D beings are being controlled by people like Luther and his company of Sphere 211. They're not aware that they're being controlled and perhaps don't even want anything to change. Their lives are peaceful, idyllic, and a revolution would disrupt everything.
There are no doubts in my mind that the vast majority of the 4D beings are lazy. The ones who want to work are out finding ways to do so, whether it's the career placement exams mentioned after defeating Belzeber and Berial, and returning to the Eternal Sphere, or imitating the people who are working. The rest, however, aren't interested. The Eternal Sphere has consumed.
Is this laziness bred into them? Or is it simply acceptance on their part that work isn't meant for everyone? I personally feel it's a combination of both. If the government (which one is implied as existing) is handing out some kind of a monetary stipend to keep the masses from revolting against it, it's possible that most in the realm are simply content to stay at home, go to school, and generally have fun. I think it's something that's been going on for some time, too, otherwise there'd be more discontent people to talk to in Arkives than what there really are.
I now ask a couple of questions for my fellow Star Ocean fans. What do you think is the cause of the apparent laziness in the 4D beings and do you think Maria would attempt to start a revolution there?
* * * *
Game Talk, Part One
In the last few weeks, I've written my thoughts on how I'd like more Star Ocean games and I've asked others what their thoughts, including in private conversations elsewhere. I've even suggested a few things I'd like to see, mentioned finding out how to petition Square Enix for more (still haven't found the right email address yet; website for North America is such a pain sometimes). I'd like to expand on that with Game Talk, starting with ideas for The Last Hope.
Please note - This isn't anything official. These are my thoughts, an in-depth look, on what I'd like to see for a Last Hope sequel. Nothing more. Nothing less.
First of all, there must be a slight reinvention of the characters' costumes. If such a sequel were to come about, to see Edge and Reimi in their original SRF uniforms without some kind of color variation would only make it look like a re-release of The Last Hope. That isn't the goal. It might have worked with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, but there were still some changes made for Tifa. (If you've not seen it, I highly recommend it. Yes, I do. Love that movie!) In FFXIII-2, Lightning isn't wearing the same outfit as in the first game. Snow, from what I've seen of him when my stepdad has played, doesn't look quite the same, either. To have a variant or a complete costume overhaul would help to distinguish between The Last Hope and a sequel.
In addition to the change of costume, I feel that there should be some sort of growth in Edge and Reimi. Reimi is by far my least favorite character in the game. For a woman who acts like a mature sister-type character, she behaves the most irresponsibly at the most inopportune of times. Case in point: Because she couldn't remain calm under pressure after Lymle got away from her on the Alternate Earth, Milla Bachtein knew how to manipulate Edge into giving her what she wanted. A little more maturity on her part would be very nice instead of her acting like a stereotypical whiny, needy female.
Second, a time lapse of some kind is in order. If it's too short of a time lapse (like six months later, after the fall of Nox Obscuris), and people will wonder about the endings already given to them after earning the affinity points that they have for the playable characters (though why Edge wasn't given his own ending is a mystery to me). Too long of a time lapse, and it might as well be a different game. (I'm thinking of the twenty-year gap between Star Ocean: First Departure and Star Ocean: Second Evolution.) If the same characters are to appear, a two to three year gap would be most acceptable. A year set after Reimi's ending would be acceptable, too.
Third, a few questions would have to be answered, like does Crowe ever come back to Earth after siring at least one child with Eleyna, what happens to Bacchus and is Faize still alive? Crowe (though he isn't a playable character) and Faize are very much loved characters. We know Bacchus returns to his body to live out the rest of his days, but does he die due to the severe mutation of the stone sickness virus, the reason for which he built a mechanical body in the first place? It's nice to know that Crowe doesn't actually die, but it's still disappointing he didn't become a playable character. Yes, he's a Captain, just like Edge, but, in Till the End of Time, Fayt is the pen ultimate leader for the group. Maria's the leader of Quark, but she and Fayt aren't interchangeable as leaders when it comes to basic wilderness and dungeon wandering (which can be done on some PS2 games - play Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to see it in action). She becomes a follower in that sense. Of course, Crowe had a different part to play in the story than playable character, which is still cool. For a sequel, though, I'd love to have him as a playable character. I'd also like to know for certain what really becomes of Faize. Is he appearing as a ghost to Lymle in his ending? Or is he stuck in some kind of dimensional rift? Maybe a rescue would be in order. It'd make for an interesting plot twist to the story.
One other thing that I'd like to see is a more in-depth explanation of/chance to learn how the Muah ultimately connect Earth and Roak. Yes, the ancient alien race lived on Earth. It lived on Roak, but what happened to the ancient race? Did they leave both planets for another world? And why don't we hear of the Muah after First Departure? (Remember, there's a continent on Roak named after the Muah, and that's where the story of First Departure is set or at least begins.) Maybe it's uncovering that secret that could be key to saving a planet (or, if you want to follow the current trend of Star Ocean cliche', the universe). These are all fascinating questions, to me, and I do believe it'd be fun to explore those reasons.
Of course, no Star Ocean game is ever complete with some kind of overall major threat to the hero, heroine, and their questing party. To see a return of the Grigori would be quite lame. The only way I'd accept it is if somehow the 4D realm is tied into this as well as someone from Sphere 211 trying to find the root cause because I still stand by the notion the Grigori are not Luther's creations. (His entire goal was to delete the anomalies creating havoc in the Eternal Sphere, not to create them.) Otherwise, some alien race (not the Vendeeni, since they need to be around for Till the End of Time) bent on conquering planets like Earth would be nice.
I don't know if I'd want to necessarily see all of the playable characters from The Last Hope to return, not unless I could see more character development from the ones already established. I could understand Meracle and Sarah being added into the mix, especially if the adventure brings Edge and Reimi back to Roak to figure out the mystery of the Muah, maybe Myuria and Bacchus, depending on whether or not the Morphus will keep on intervening on behalf of the universe. As for Lymle . . . I think she should be left alone, since the Muah were never on Lemuris (to our knowledge). I'm sure another fire Symbologist could be created for the purposes of the game. I don't know if Arumat could even factor into the story set-up. About the only way I could think of to integrate the two into the particular storyline is if, thanks to Faize's ending where he appears to Lymle on Lemuris, Faize tells Lymle he's stuck somewhere and she needs to send out word to Edge. That, of course, would lead her to the Eldarians living on Lemuris, telling them, and someone getting a message out to Arumat to get her and take her to Edge. I think some new characters would be more interesting, or expand the number of playable characters from eight to ten or twelve. (And it'd only be a pain if they do the battle trophy system the same way - 100 trophies per character instead of a generalized list, like in Till the End of Time.) New characters are always nice. :)
Naturally, this is what I'd like to see in terms of story and characters for a sequel to The Last Hope. In terms of graphics, I'd like to see something a little smoother, a better flow to movement . . . While I love the graphics for The Last Hope, Arumat looks more like a ball-jointed doll than a well-created CGI character. A little more time on the graphics would be nice. The game could also be longer, more areas to explore, and more challenges. The sub-quests and store deliveries were cool. I wouldn't mind a revisit to that.
I hope this inspires others to think about what they'd like to see in any potential Star Ocean games, be it sequels to The Last Hope and Till the End of Time. For the next Game Talk, I'll outline ideas on a crossover game between Till the End of Time and The Last Hope. There is actually a way to cross all four games together, but I'd rather not get too many things going on at once. The first two are connected anyway.
* * * *
I forgot to announce it Tuesday but the next Star Ocean birthday is Bacchus, on May 5. I'm accepting submissions for art, one-shots, and poetry for the Morphus scientist.
The Four-Dimensional Realm. A place of idyllic peace. The world is always white and bright, and entertainment is abundant. In order to work, the young take career placement exams, and, if they score high enough, they'll head to the Lost City to begin work. The most work someone can find in Arkives is security and the Spacetime Station. Work is found in places like Gemity and in the companies who call the Lost City home.
Work is for the privileged, like Luther Lansfeld, his sister Blair, Belzeber, Berial, and Azazer. The rest of the population, however large it may be, doesn't work. Most of the people you talk to don't necessarily want to work. They'd rather hang out at Gemity, dressed in costume, watching the bunny races, playing runic chess, competing in the arena, adventuring in the Eternal Sphere or at their personal terminals in their homes. With the lack of work it makes me wonder a few different things.
1 - How do they pay for their homes, food, rental costumes, and gaming terminals if they're not working? It's obvious that the 4D beings don't live in shelters. Are the homes built by previous generations? Are they on a government stipend? It's always possible. Money is earned in the four-dimensional realm. (You pay for weapon upgrades, restorative items, the hotel in Arkives, etc . . .)
2 - Exactly how deeply is the laziness routed in their culture? Mind you, those who aren't working sit at their terminals all day, are in Gemity all day, having a ball in the Eternal Sphere.
It's this particular question that has me writing this entry. It's obvious that time does pass in the 4D realm. In talking with the NPCs there, you find children, adults, elderly, parents, grandparents, etc. . . In talking with Maria, she'll not only mention how she's noticed that only the privileged work but also voice her thoughts in how the 4D beings are being controlled by people like Luther and his company of Sphere 211. They're not aware that they're being controlled and perhaps don't even want anything to change. Their lives are peaceful, idyllic, and a revolution would disrupt everything.
There are no doubts in my mind that the vast majority of the 4D beings are lazy. The ones who want to work are out finding ways to do so, whether it's the career placement exams mentioned after defeating Belzeber and Berial, and returning to the Eternal Sphere, or imitating the people who are working. The rest, however, aren't interested. The Eternal Sphere has consumed.
Is this laziness bred into them? Or is it simply acceptance on their part that work isn't meant for everyone? I personally feel it's a combination of both. If the government (which one is implied as existing) is handing out some kind of a monetary stipend to keep the masses from revolting against it, it's possible that most in the realm are simply content to stay at home, go to school, and generally have fun. I think it's something that's been going on for some time, too, otherwise there'd be more discontent people to talk to in Arkives than what there really are.
I now ask a couple of questions for my fellow Star Ocean fans. What do you think is the cause of the apparent laziness in the 4D beings and do you think Maria would attempt to start a revolution there?
* * * *
Game Talk, Part One
In the last few weeks, I've written my thoughts on how I'd like more Star Ocean games and I've asked others what their thoughts, including in private conversations elsewhere. I've even suggested a few things I'd like to see, mentioned finding out how to petition Square Enix for more (still haven't found the right email address yet; website for North America is such a pain sometimes). I'd like to expand on that with Game Talk, starting with ideas for The Last Hope.
Please note - This isn't anything official. These are my thoughts, an in-depth look, on what I'd like to see for a Last Hope sequel. Nothing more. Nothing less.
First of all, there must be a slight reinvention of the characters' costumes. If such a sequel were to come about, to see Edge and Reimi in their original SRF uniforms without some kind of color variation would only make it look like a re-release of The Last Hope. That isn't the goal. It might have worked with Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, but there were still some changes made for Tifa. (If you've not seen it, I highly recommend it. Yes, I do. Love that movie!) In FFXIII-2, Lightning isn't wearing the same outfit as in the first game. Snow, from what I've seen of him when my stepdad has played, doesn't look quite the same, either. To have a variant or a complete costume overhaul would help to distinguish between The Last Hope and a sequel.
In addition to the change of costume, I feel that there should be some sort of growth in Edge and Reimi. Reimi is by far my least favorite character in the game. For a woman who acts like a mature sister-type character, she behaves the most irresponsibly at the most inopportune of times. Case in point: Because she couldn't remain calm under pressure after Lymle got away from her on the Alternate Earth, Milla Bachtein knew how to manipulate Edge into giving her what she wanted. A little more maturity on her part would be very nice instead of her acting like a stereotypical whiny, needy female.
Second, a time lapse of some kind is in order. If it's too short of a time lapse (like six months later, after the fall of Nox Obscuris), and people will wonder about the endings already given to them after earning the affinity points that they have for the playable characters (though why Edge wasn't given his own ending is a mystery to me). Too long of a time lapse, and it might as well be a different game. (I'm thinking of the twenty-year gap between Star Ocean: First Departure and Star Ocean: Second Evolution.) If the same characters are to appear, a two to three year gap would be most acceptable. A year set after Reimi's ending would be acceptable, too.
Third, a few questions would have to be answered, like does Crowe ever come back to Earth after siring at least one child with Eleyna, what happens to Bacchus and is Faize still alive? Crowe (though he isn't a playable character) and Faize are very much loved characters. We know Bacchus returns to his body to live out the rest of his days, but does he die due to the severe mutation of the stone sickness virus, the reason for which he built a mechanical body in the first place? It's nice to know that Crowe doesn't actually die, but it's still disappointing he didn't become a playable character. Yes, he's a Captain, just like Edge, but, in Till the End of Time, Fayt is the pen ultimate leader for the group. Maria's the leader of Quark, but she and Fayt aren't interchangeable as leaders when it comes to basic wilderness and dungeon wandering (which can be done on some PS2 games - play Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King to see it in action). She becomes a follower in that sense. Of course, Crowe had a different part to play in the story than playable character, which is still cool. For a sequel, though, I'd love to have him as a playable character. I'd also like to know for certain what really becomes of Faize. Is he appearing as a ghost to Lymle in his ending? Or is he stuck in some kind of dimensional rift? Maybe a rescue would be in order. It'd make for an interesting plot twist to the story.
One other thing that I'd like to see is a more in-depth explanation of/chance to learn how the Muah ultimately connect Earth and Roak. Yes, the ancient alien race lived on Earth. It lived on Roak, but what happened to the ancient race? Did they leave both planets for another world? And why don't we hear of the Muah after First Departure? (Remember, there's a continent on Roak named after the Muah, and that's where the story of First Departure is set or at least begins.) Maybe it's uncovering that secret that could be key to saving a planet (or, if you want to follow the current trend of Star Ocean cliche', the universe). These are all fascinating questions, to me, and I do believe it'd be fun to explore those reasons.
Of course, no Star Ocean game is ever complete with some kind of overall major threat to the hero, heroine, and their questing party. To see a return of the Grigori would be quite lame. The only way I'd accept it is if somehow the 4D realm is tied into this as well as someone from Sphere 211 trying to find the root cause because I still stand by the notion the Grigori are not Luther's creations. (His entire goal was to delete the anomalies creating havoc in the Eternal Sphere, not to create them.) Otherwise, some alien race (not the Vendeeni, since they need to be around for Till the End of Time) bent on conquering planets like Earth would be nice.
I don't know if I'd want to necessarily see all of the playable characters from The Last Hope to return, not unless I could see more character development from the ones already established. I could understand Meracle and Sarah being added into the mix, especially if the adventure brings Edge and Reimi back to Roak to figure out the mystery of the Muah, maybe Myuria and Bacchus, depending on whether or not the Morphus will keep on intervening on behalf of the universe. As for Lymle . . . I think she should be left alone, since the Muah were never on Lemuris (to our knowledge). I'm sure another fire Symbologist could be created for the purposes of the game. I don't know if Arumat could even factor into the story set-up. About the only way I could think of to integrate the two into the particular storyline is if, thanks to Faize's ending where he appears to Lymle on Lemuris, Faize tells Lymle he's stuck somewhere and she needs to send out word to Edge. That, of course, would lead her to the Eldarians living on Lemuris, telling them, and someone getting a message out to Arumat to get her and take her to Edge. I think some new characters would be more interesting, or expand the number of playable characters from eight to ten or twelve. (And it'd only be a pain if they do the battle trophy system the same way - 100 trophies per character instead of a generalized list, like in Till the End of Time.) New characters are always nice. :)
Naturally, this is what I'd like to see in terms of story and characters for a sequel to The Last Hope. In terms of graphics, I'd like to see something a little smoother, a better flow to movement . . . While I love the graphics for The Last Hope, Arumat looks more like a ball-jointed doll than a well-created CGI character. A little more time on the graphics would be nice. The game could also be longer, more areas to explore, and more challenges. The sub-quests and store deliveries were cool. I wouldn't mind a revisit to that.
I hope this inspires others to think about what they'd like to see in any potential Star Ocean games, be it sequels to The Last Hope and Till the End of Time. For the next Game Talk, I'll outline ideas on a crossover game between Till the End of Time and The Last Hope. There is actually a way to cross all four games together, but I'd rather not get too many things going on at once. The first two are connected anyway.
* * * *
I forgot to announce it Tuesday but the next Star Ocean birthday is Bacchus, on May 5. I'm accepting submissions for art, one-shots, and poetry for the Morphus scientist.
