The Star Ocean franchise has been around for a long time now, and remains a quietly successful alternative to the bigger JRPGs out there. Last year, the Xbox 360 was treated to the latest installment in the series; Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope. The game was highly regarded, but a Playstation counterpart was nowhere to be seen. Now, at last, gamers can pick up Playstation 3's Star Ocean.

The release of this title is not a straight port, but rather is titled the 'international' edition, and features some minor extras. Firstly, the original Japanese voice track has been added as an option. This is a welcome feature for those who prefer their JRPGs with a little more authenticity. Also, players can toggle the HUD display to reveal the original Japanese artwork for characters. Not a massive extra, but welcome nonetheless.

Onto the game itself, and Playstation 3's Star Ocean will not disappoint. The game builds on the combat system of previous entries in the series, offering a simple yet fun attack approach which is systematically levelled up as time goes on. New features like the Rush gauge add a new spin to the combat, rewarding quick handed players with further benefits.

The storyline that runs throughout Playstation 3's Star Ocean is suitably grand, as one would expect from developers Square Enix. A great feature is the optional Private Actions, which allows players to interact between their characters to gain a deeper sense of character development. This is not integral to the storyline, but is great for those wanting to fully immerse themselves with the characters.

It may have taken a while, but Playstation 3's Star Ocean is definitely worth the wait. The visuals, whilst maybe not up to Final Fantasy standards, are still beautiful and the storyline will reward you the more you put into it. Any fans of the genre should definitely look into this great title.

Prior to the release of the Playstation 3 Slim, back in September 2009, Sony were really starting to worry about PS3 sales. The major competition; Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360, were both outselling the console along with their respective software. The problem was pinned down to Sony's refusal to budge on the hefty price tag, and so the other consoles became popular due to increased affordability. Sony's luck changed dramatically however, with the production of the Playstation 3 Slim.

This redesign is not an alternative model, the Playstation 3 Slim has completely replaced the older models and so is regarded the only official Playstation 3 console. As before, the model is available in both 120GB or 250GB, offering buyers the same options in capacity as before. Further additions include EasyLink, which augments the HDMI capabilities of both your Playstation and the TV it is connected to.

As the title suggests, the Playstation 3 Slim is a lot more compact and space-friendly than its predecessor. It is over 30% smaller and lighter; a welcome instigation as the size of the original was always a sore point. Furthermore, the reduced size also consumes a lot less power, which means the console doesn't heat up as fast. Overheating was never a massive issue for the Playstation 3, especially compared to rivals, but a cooler system is always a better system.

Finally, Sony issued a hefty price cut on the console. Seemingly what the public was waiting for, sales skyrocketed in the Autumn and Sony were well and truly back in the race. The Playstation 3 Slim console represents a unified and logical step forward for the company- offering the same great system in a smaller, more user friendly package and cutting the price makes everyone happy- Sony get their sales and we get a new and improved console!