LogFAQs > #980098962

Yeah, Star Ocean 2 is the best (atleast between the first 4, never played 5 or 6). But the first game is still solid, and going from 2 to 1 might be rough, ESPECIALLY if you get the recent remake of Star Ocean 2, which changed and streamlined quite a bit, compared to Star Ocean 1, whose PSP/Switch versions are still very much like retro action RPGs, for better and worse.

So yeah if you think you'll play both 1 and 2, checking out the first game first I'd say is the right call. It'd also make certain story stuff in Star Ocean 2 more meaningful.