Star Ocean: Blue Sphere

[cccran]

I just happened to find this site, and it's awesome! I've always wanted to know just how rare some of my games were and what they were worth.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out that the Gameboy Color game "Star Ocean: Blue Sphere" is not in the database. It's a japanese game, the direct sequel to "Star Ocean: The Second Story." I'm a huge Star Ocean fan, and I've bought every game from the series. I was interested to see what it's rarity is, but it's not there.

Just wanted to point that out, so someone can add it in the future. Thanks for the great site regardless!

[TEND]

This should be in the 'Collector Guides and Rarity Database' forum.

[Aussie2B]

Wow, I was totally shocked to see a topic about this game here, especially considering it wasn't created by me. :P

Yeah, a lot of Japanese games are missing from the database. There's another forum to report issues with the rarity guide, but as far as this stuff goes, they're just going to tell you "Yeah, we know. We can't get to it right now." The focus of the site is on US-released games.

And even when Japanese games are in the database, most don't have rarity values. There aren't very many people here living in Japan, so it's impossible to judge how truly rare something is and what a fair price is. With Blue Sphere, I can tell you that on eBay and import stores you're generally find it for about the same price as it was new - roughly $50; the price has never really dropped since its release in 2001. I don't know how expensive it is in Japan, though. As far as GBC games go, I think it sold decently in Japan, but keep in mind that it was a very late GBC release.

Right now, I just think the demand is greater than the supply, to foreign audiences, that is. I always see topics on the GameFAQs Blue Sphere board saying "I can't find this game anywhere!" It only infrequently shows up on eBay, so even though the game is very obscure and just has a tiny following, it's still more than the copies available online to western audiences. Plus, I don't think it helps that between my site, my FAQ, and my constant posting about the game at every board I go to (which my boyfriend is doing too, now) I must be creating more interest and awareness about the game. :)

[cccran]

Okay, I guess I missed thay other forum.

I guess it's no surprise they wouldn't also have every japanese game. And I was wondering why almost all the japanese games were rarity of 0...

It took me a long time to find both Star Ocean [1] and Star Ocean BS on ebay, but it was well worth it, though unfortunately I've never finished either since I'm stuck with obviously no idea what I'm doing...

Glad to find another Star Ocean fan though!

[TEND]

Rarity of 0 simply means, that they have not assigned it a rating yet.

[mikeetler]

Yeah, a lot of Japanese games are missing from the database. There's another forum to report issues with the rarity guide, but as far as this stuff goes, they're just going to tell you "Yeah, we know. We can't get to it right now." The focus of the site is on US-released games.

Have you ever looked at the Guide forum? A number of the section editors check there frequently and items are added from there constantly. I have added a number of J GB/GBC releases because of posts there. The entire GB/GBC/GBA section is done by one person (me :) ) and is over 3100 entries. Updates are uploaded every month or so and Japanese releases are what I've been starting on recently. There are over 120 new entries in the next update, including SO:BS and come 80 other J releases. Steering people away from posting there is not a good idea.


And even when Japanese games are in the database, most don't have rarity values. There aren't very many people here living in Japan, so it's impossible to judge how truly rare something is and what a fair price is.

Very true, and for something like GB/GBC/GBA where there are over 1500 (in Japan closer to 2000) releases, it will take a long time to be finalized.

-Mike

[Aussie2B]

Sorry, I didn't mean to seem like I was steering anyone away from that forum. ^_^; That's great to hear you're adding Japanese titles to the Game Boy sections. I just have the general outlook that everyone who's working on the guide works so hard already as it is that I don't want to nag them about individual titles. :P I figure everything will get done as soon as it can get done. :)

By the way, cccran, if you're having trouble with those games and don't mind using a little outside help, I recommend heading over to GameFAQs and using Ian Kelley's Star Ocean guide and my own Star Ocean: Blue Sphere guides (as well as the other Blue Sphere walkthrough, since mine is still incomplete).

[Daria]

so even though the game is very obscure and just has a tiny following,

As popular as the Star Ocean series has become I find it hard to believe that Blue Sphere is really all that obscure. Sure most people don't own the game, as most American gamers aren't really into importing, but alot of fans do know the game exists.

[cccran]

haha, you're the author of that incomplete guide? I had a feeling LOL . Yeah at the time I was playing, yours was the only guide, and now I really have no idea where I am since it's been so long, and I don't want to start a new game...but one day...

As for Star Ocean, I have the walkthrough(s), I just can't seem to find where it is the writer was telling me to go. And again, that was many a year ago, so...

I still just like having them though :)

[mikeetler]

Sorry, I didn't mean to seem like I was steering anyone away from that forum. ^_^; That's great to hear you're adding Japanese titles to the Game Boy sections. I just have the general outlook that everyone who's working on the guide works so hard already as it is that I don't want to nag them about individual titles. :P I figure everything will get done as soon as it can get done. :)


No problem. Personally, I prefer if games not listed for my sections (GB/GBC/GBA/DS (US) & Gamecube (US)) were posted in there since I check there before anywhere else in the forums. I know a number of other section editors are in there frequently as well. Now if you're talking hardware and accessories, that does get pretty much blown off for most systems at this stage.

-Mike

[Aussie2B]

As popular as the Star Ocean series has become I find it hard to believe that Blue Sphere is really all that obscure. Sure most people don't own the game, as most American gamers aren't really into importing, but alot of fans do know the game exists.

You think so? That's not really what I've seen. I'm constantly educating Star Ocean fans about the existence of Blue Sphere, although as time goes by there are more people aware of it. However, most instantly brush it off with comments like "It's a handheld RPG, so it must suck" or "You'd have to be stupid to play an RPG in Japanese", without so much as learning a single thing about the game. Little do they know that the game is really light on story so understanding the text is of little importance beyond understanding the names of places and items and such, and the fact that it's on a GBC cart doesn't hurt it at all, especially since I think it's BETTER than its console counterparts.

Yeah, cccran, I'm the author of the so-so quality walkthrough. :P It's pretty old at this point and it was written mostly by memory (not to mention it just covers 1/4 of the game, if that much). There's another walkthrough there now, though, that covers the basics of progressing through the whole game. I've just been focusing on the FAQ for the last few years, since the nitty-gritty details of the game are more complex and confusing than just progressing through the story, I think. I've kept the FAQ nice and polished over the years, so it's only been getting more and more useful. Hopefully I'll get my next update completed soon (it's been what, a year or two since I got the last update online?). Eventually, when the FAQ gets finished, I'll do a complete overhaul of the walkthrough and finally get it completed as well. Goodness knows how long that will take with my busy life. :P

Oh, and if you're having problems with Ian Kelley's Star Ocean guides, you may want to check GameFAQs again. Ever since the ROM of Star Ocean became playable and the patches were made, there have been a ton of new guides made. A lot of them are of iffy quality, not to mention that their names of things are based on the patch not the actual names of things in-game (some names were changed for whatever reasons), but they may prove useful.

[Yamazaki]

The problem with the stuff here in Japan is that all the shops and internet sellers hav their own ideas when it comes to the prices.

One shop sells Sapphire for 40000 another one for 50000. Or Winds of Thunder 3000, another one for 1500!

Rage of the Dragons costs usually between 55000-65000 Yen! approx 490$!!

[cccran]

Yep, I really need to get back into those games. I should just go buy a decent SNES-like joystick for my comp and play the translated ROM, as I've had it since like the week it came out. Also, as I am in college and 300 miles from my game collection 80% of the year (and starting two days from now...), it makes a lot more sense. Blue Sphere, I don't have emulated, but since it's a handheld...

Thanks for all your help, btw. And good luck with the FAQ, it was a big help at the time!

[Daria]

As popular as the Star Ocean series has become I find it hard to believe that Blue Sphere is really all that obscure. Sure most people don't own the game, as most American gamers aren't really into importing, but alot of fans do know the game exists.

You think so? That's not really what I've seen. I'm constantly educating Star Ocean fans about the existence of Blue Sphere, although as time goes by there are more people aware of it. However, most instantly brush it off with comments like "It's a handheld RPG, so it must suck" or "You'd have to be stupid to play an RPG in Japanese", without so much as learning a single thing about the game. Little do they know that the game is really light on story so understanding the text is of little importance beyond understanding the names of places and items and such, and the fact that it's on a GBC cart doesn't hurt it at all, especially since I think it's BETTER than its console counterparts.

I guess it really depends on the crowd. Fans who've played only played 2 and 3 are unlikey to have heard of BS. But those who are emulating the original? I think they know it's out there.