NBrid

Phantasy Star Online

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Written by: ConnDestn

The Intro: Alright ladies and gentleman, here comes the review
you have been waiting for. Phantasy Star is a RPG series originally started
on the Sega Master System, and now after years of waiting, fans of the
series will finally get a new sequel. The major difference between this
PS and the others is that for the first time ever, PS goes online. Also,
PSO is the first online console RPG in history. "Applause."

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The Game:

Online: Online is where this games destroys any other console RPG
effort, and all because no other console RPG has been online. The graphics
are some of the DC's best. Lush environments, smooth poly's, detailed
surroundings, and monsters. It's no doubt that this game has looks, but
what's under that? The music is okay, but nothing truly epic or great
to listen to. The best track in my opinion would be the one playing in
the beginning right after you select "new game." The story is pretty basic,
and not nearly as interesting as say a Square RPG, but it's enough for
this type of game because afterall, their aren't too many people worrying
about the story during deep, long nights of play. Of course since this
game can go online, players can play through with other people from around
the world. Up to four players can join in on a team and tackle either
the game's story and attempt to beat it, or you can take on jobs for people,
and upon completing the job, be given a reward. A plus to the game being
online, is the fact that in the near future other jobs can be downloaded
from the internet to keep replay high. As soon as you connect to the PSO
world, you are taken to a virtual lobby where you can communicate with
various players walking around. If you step to the counter you will be
able to either join an existing team or create your own, and include a
password if wanted. Once you are in the team, you are taken to a city
where you can visit shops, hospital, or the bank where you can store both
items and meseta (meseta is the currency in PS). Another great option
in PSO are the guild cards. Guild cards are basically a virtual business
card which you can customize a message and then give to another player.
After you have obtained a guild card, you will be able to search for the
player at any time, send a simple email to them, and even be taken directly
to them provided they aren't in a game, otherwise you will be taken to
the lobby that the game exists in. Using a set of preset phrases you will
be able to converse quicker and even talk to a player in Japan or Europe.
Weapons and armor make questing a much more enjoyable task. There are
hundreds of different types of weapons and armor, some really rare that
can be found. Another feature not mentioned earlier is the ability to
customize a character from its class, to its color hair, to its proportions
and name. One major gripe with many players as well as me would be the
fact that at this point their are only 4 levels, each with 2-3 parts in
them. I'm not sure if it can be done, but it would be nice if Sega could
put brand new stages on the servers. The enemies are nice to look at,
but there aren't a lot of varieties on each stage. The bosses are a nice
plus to the end of each stage and can be challenging. I remember 4 NBrids
first attack on the Mine's boss:) Other problems consist of connection
problems. Too many players have complained about the game freezing and
not allowing them to save, making them loose many valuable items (I'm
one of them). There can also be lag which can get you killed, or mostly
just delay your conversations. For the most part the game runs fine online,
but it's not perfect. It can really tick someone off when something happens
to their game and they loose items they worked hard for, or a character
they have leveled for days. In the end though, you can't beat an RPG where
you can play with your friends. I must admit it took over my life for
awhile.

Offline: Everything as far as music and graphics remains the same,
as well as items, monsters, and playing through the game. Some differences
are that offline mode has more varied jobs to take on. The biggest thing
missing is the online feature which for me and a lot of people was the
reason for buying this game. Both online and off, the game is not much
more then a hack/slash repetitive play through, but online it seems like
so much more because you are doing it with other players, and you can
chat with each other and trade things. Personally if PSO wasn't online,
but it was the same game offline that it is now, I wouldn't have bought
it. I bore easily at those types of RPGs. Without a strong story, it is
just not much worth playing for too long. If you are looking for a great
single player RPG, then try Skies Of Arcadia or Grandia II. Both are far
superior in single mode.

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The Conclusion: If you are looking to play online, then go and
get this game now, and get ready to loose track of everything else in
life. It's not perfect, but Sega is at least trying to give us gamers
to use that nifty modem.

Did you realize?: Because of Sega's fierce approach to stop piracy
and cheating using the serial number technique, that this game could never
be bought used and played online unless you are gonna buy the original
Dreamcast it was played on as well? Note: If you wanna play this game
online, DO NOT buy it used. You have been warned.

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Final Score: 4.5   (out of 5)