Phantasy Star Zero

[caije]

Is anyone here other than me waiting for Phantasy Star Zero to come out? I have the JP version but I seriously can't wait to be able read the game. I haven't seen anyone else mention it so I thought I would see if there were any other fans out there.

[Hanyou]

First, I am absolutely in love with Phantasy Star 1, 2, and 4. They are some of the most memorable RPG's I've ever played--challenging, with incredible music, beautiful artistic design, and unforgettable characters.

Secondly, I never have played any of the Phantasy Star Online games. I don't see the point. There isn't even access to an online community right now, and in absence of that, what good is an MMO? I avoid MMO's like the plague anyway.

When I first heard of Phantasy Star Zero, I was ecstatic because I figured it was a prequel to the first Phantasy Star--essentially, the series was going back to its roots. I soon learned that that was not the case, and it was simply another online entry which (if I've got it right) has nothing to do with the original Phantasy Star series at all.

I may yet give it a try if I can be persuaded that it's a good game, but I'm still fuming at Sega for false advertising. I want my turn-based combat, devious first-person (or third-person) dungeons, and strong story.

I guess my question is this: is it any good? Does it really deserve to bear the Phantasy Star name? Does it have anything to do with the original games?

If the answer is yes to any of those, I'll at least give it a try. The Phantasy Star games were some of the most revolutionary RPG's ever released, and it's a shame we haven't had a real one since 1994. But just because the online games aren't REAL PS entries doesn't mean they're bad.

[caije]

Saga should have dropped the Phantasy Star name once they moved to their online games. I suppose they kept it for the name recognition but it has caused no end of grief for the fans of the original PS games. There are people who try to tie the games together but in my opinion it's a far stretch to say they are related in any relevant way.

My first PS game was PSO back in the dreamcast days and thus I am coming at the issue from a completely different point of view. For me PS isn't about a deep RPG experience as much as it is an intense item collection dungeon crawler with an active battle system and strong community elements.

As far as Phantasy Star Zero is concerned, it is a fun game. The combat is satisfying and character building and item collection can leave you with a sense of accomplishment. The graphics are about as good at it gets on the DS. The only game that I've seen comparable is Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, but the environment in PSz is much more interesting and has a real sense of completeness. The online play is extremely well done in this game unlike the poor execution of Echoes of Time.

Three difficulty levels, random map layout, and rare areas are enough to keep the game interesting for a long time. If you hated Diablo chances are you'll not care much for PSz since their gameplay concepts are very similar.

[Riseatrance]

[noodles]

trance

move to california

do it