Phantasy Star Online 2 presentation and gameplay video

[Wing-0]

PP in the Universe games were not really a problem. When the weapons had their fixed PP gauges, all you needed was to switch weapons or use a Photon Charge. Even in Phantasy Star Portable 1, PP refilled itself if you stood there doing nothing or kept attacking enemies, where a certain percentage was refilled upon a good hit on an enemy, giving you more ammunition and in effect making a 100PP last around 110PP in combat if properly used, maybe more.

Photon Charges were completely eliminated in Phantasy Star Portable 2, but the speed at which it fills up again is so high that you never really run out of ammunition. You may need to pause for a bit, yes, but it's not that long. If you use a melee weapon, you can make the PP gauge fill faster by attacking enemies. Moot point.

Regarding the enemies, I think the writer of that wall of text is... butthurt... PSO and PSU are completely different games in terms of gameplay. Sure, you no longer get the ability to make them flinch or push them back, but that issue is less important thanks to the speed you can move with now. Cornered? Get the hell out of there! Also, enemies tend to have different attack patterns as opposed to just advancing towards your position and punching you like the majority in PSO, with the obvious exeptions being the Dark Belra, Chaos Bringer and other baddies. Yes, you have an enormous mobility in PSU, especially in Portable 2, but so do some enemies as well that are able to attack en masse and spamming particular techniques like Barta and such like those pests from Neudaiz or even Evil Sharks that circle you by jumping and then punch you silly. Hell, even the Stateria types are difficult to attack because of their high power and capability for relatively fast physical attacks and ranged blasts, as well as how quick they turn to face you when you run behind them.

As for the bladed weapons being all the same as he seems to imply, no dice. Sabers attack only one enemy. Swords, while quick and able to attack more than one enemy, are still not quick enough when confronted with quicker enemies. Polties or even rappies can become a problem early on, with other enemies taking their place in later stages and levels. Example: Boomas, Vahras, Evil Sharks and other monsters that move quickly. Lances attack in a line and have photon arts that can damage in a line, daggers are weak but are also really fast and if properly utilized, can even become the base weapon for a character with some PAs that have short opening intervals for enemies to attack you and wide attack ranges. Double sabers have speed and power, but can render the player open to attacks thanks to their long animations in the third strike and few long delays in certain high damage Photon Arts like the Absolute Dance. Each weapon is best for a given situation. Sticking to a single type of weapon in these games is not just stupid. It's a damn suicide. That's the reason for the ability to change weaponry sets on the fly

There ARE some weapons like the Igzam (or whatever it was romanized for the English version of PSp2) that is a saber that can attack multiple enemies, but that is a rare weapon that you can only obtain by importing a character from PSp1 and by itself, despite upgrading it, is rather weak until you obtain an item to jump it from a measly B rank to its final S rank... But it's still a rare.

Regarding the whining about the flying bosses, it's still not an issue. Why? Because you can equip a gun on a hunter, a force or a braver (vanguard for those of you speaking English only) too and attack the enemy despite height. Yes, rangers have the advantage there too, but once an enemy lands, you can attack them with melee weapons as well. It's called variety in arsenal. Every class has access to it.

Some of his/her/its complaints could have been valid with the original PSU, but not all. I doubt that person even played the game deeply. I did, starting from the original PSO to PSp2. I know each engine very, very well, what changes were made from version to version and what penalties were added as well as advantages like the "parry defense" (I don't remember the correct name) of PSp2 which works similar to Street Fighter 3's parry, only you can reflect some of the damage.

Long story short, Phantasy Star Universe is different to Phantasy Star Online in many ways, some more subtle than others. Many of the issues in the first version, PSU were corrected or rebalanced in PSU: Ambition of Illuminus and rebalanced in Portable 2, since Portable 1 was a slightly modified port of the AoI engine.

How he/she/it can get so butthurt after seeing a very primary video of the game engine in action is ridiculous. That is still a game in development and the finer points of a game don't come out until you play the game itself, putting your time into it.

Going on about people not knowing what they're doing is a presumptuous argument that tells me this shithead knows... shit. They must know full well what they're sticking their hands into. PSO is a game that was played by lots of people and remembered as one fine piece of entertainment software. His argument of adding PSZero to the mix as a comparison to how it felt like PSO but the rest didn't, and by extension PSO2 won't either, makes me wonder... Did Alfa System make Phantasy Star Zero? No. It was Sonic Team according to Wikipedia (I can't say from experience since I don't have it myself). That argument is correct, but irrelevant in this day and age. Games change and PSU was an evolution of what PSO was. If Alfa System is behind PSO2 like I think they are (Sakai produces), then the game is SURE to have a certain PSp air to it. Completely unavoidable and most likely rather good, since the latter entries in the franchise were nothing short of excellent for my rather nitpicky-bastard standards when talking about gameplay. I doubt it will be an issue. All I hope for is that he'll take the more somber atmosphere of PSO rather than the lighter ambience of PSU, which is what never truly clicked with me.

Now I'm going to quote this bawling wanker...

QUOTE
So I guess what I'm offended at most is that they not only could have made a proper PSO2 because there's obviously people around that can, but instead they're making what looks like to be a successor to PSU in terms of gameplay but skinning it as PSO because they've done everything they can to run PSU/Portable into the ground and now want to spit on the original I suppose.
/QUOTE

OHO!! Offended!? Did he make PSO? I mean, maybe if that person had made it, invested time and emotional stress/whatever, I could believe that to be so... But since I don't, I'm just assuming that person to be a butthurt "haaaarrrdcoar PSOfan". But here's the best part... "SPITTING ON THE ORIGINAL"!! OH MY FRAKING CRAP!! That must be a jest... Let's see... Spitting on originals... Like... when Sonic Team decided to go for an MMO instead of the... classic Phantasy Star that so many experienced during their childhood/adolescence? When they changed the setting from the Algol star system to a single planet called Ragol? Wasn't that a spit on the face like some hard headed fans bawled back in the day? Because I remember those particular bawls!

Bringing PSU/Portable to the ground is quite a statement... A very bold one. I would believe it if the games had actually gotten worse as they went... But wait... They didn't... The gameplay is fun, especially with PSp2's additions. Variety in enemies which wasn't all there in PSO, a huge variety in weapons/items/techniques/photon arts which wasn't as big in PSO either... Massive quantities of new items/weapons. New techniques and Photon Arts, an enjoyable music that goes from reuses from the first versions in the last as well as new musics... Emphasis on being able to play both offline as well as online with the same character, great graphics that resemble the PS2 version's... Yes, they've certainly grabbed PSU and smeared it with feces on the ground.

Benoit, I have no idea where you got that from, but... jeez, man... Find someone better to write an insightful critique instead of just a filthy, angry rant written while wearing rose colored glasses.

[BenoitRen]

Remember that my experience comes from playing the original and AOTI.

PP in the Universe games were not really a problem. When the weapons had their fixed PP gauges, all you needed was to switch weapons or use a Photon Charge.

With all the items that you can pick up, limited inventory space, and limited action pallette, carrying multiple instances of a weapon isn't a good solution. Sometimes it's even hard to have more than one instance, with the grinding and synthesising going on.

Even in Phantasy Star Portable 1, PP refilled itself if you stood there doing nothing or kept attacking enemies, where a certain percentage was refilled upon a good hit on an enemy, giving you more ammunition and in effect making a 100PP last around 110PP in combat if properly used, maybe more.

Meanwhile, in PSU, weapons refilled at 1 PP per tick if you were offline. 12 PP if it's a gun, but considering how quickly gun PP is depleted, it doesn't help much.

Online, it's better, but still not sufficient. PP refills by hitting enemies were only introduced some time after the expansion was out, and it was only 1 PP per hit.

Regarding the enemies, I think the writer of that wall of text is... butthurt... PSO and PSU are completely different games in terms of gameplay. Sure, you no longer get the ability to make them flinch or push them back, but that issue is less important thanks to the speed you can move with now.

Meanwhile, your character still flinches. It doesn't feel fair or all that fun.

As for the bladed weapons being all the same as he seems to imply, no dice.

They are when you consider that you don't need to use their basic attack combo. You can just spam their Photon Art.

Regarding the whining about the flying bosses, it's still not an issue. Why? Because you can equip a gun on a hunter, a force or a braver (vanguard for those of you speaking English only) too and attack the enemy despite height.

Hunters and Forces can only equip weak guns, and they quickly run out of PP, so it's not a solution. If you happen to not have a gun at all, it's even worse. You might argue that you should have a gun at all times, but the game never tells you to and doesn't require it. It's bad design.

Yes, rangers have the advantage there too, but once an enemy lands, you can attack them with melee weapons as well.

As the person said, they stay on the ground for a very short time.

Some of his/her/its complaints could have been valid with the original PSU, but not all. I doubt that person even played the game deeply.

I mostly agree with him, and I put a lot of hours into the original and the expansion.

Many of the issues in the first version, PSU were corrected or rebalanced in PSU: Ambition of Illuminus

Not really. The only noticeable change I can think of is the grinding process.

[Wing-0]

Meanwhile, in PSU, weapons refilled at 1 PP per tick if you were offline. 12 PP if it's a gun, but considering how quickly gun PP is depleted, it doesn't help much.

I never really had an issue with the slow refill and I played with all of the classes. With hunters, I kept using melee attacks mostly with handguns as secondary weapons when the enemy was away. If I ran out of PP, then I used a Photon Charge. If I ran out of Photon Charges, I switched to melee while I waited for the PP of the gun to refill. With rangers, the problem was bigger, but I always kept melee weapons at hand, with some instances of running around as I waited for the weapon I really wanted or needed to use to recover, but that happened mostly at lower levels, with the higher ones being easier because I was closer to the monster's level. Forces were even harder since all of their attacks ran on PP and once over, I had to rely on melee weapons. My experience with advanced classes wasn't much, but I still got the hang of it. It's difficult, yes, but not game breaking nor something to whine incessantly about. And I'm talking about PSU, not its revisions.

Meanwhile, your character still flinches. It doesn't feel fair or all that fun.

Well, there's the risk! The risk he or she was talking about when wielding a slow weapon like a sword.

They are when you consider that you don't need to use their basic attack combo. You can just spam their Photon Art.

If you just spammed a Photon Art in the earliest version, you wouldn't have enough for facing the boss. I never did that once I understood that. I consistently used the combo and in further versions, I practiced the charged attacks to deal more damage.

Hunters and Forces can only equip weak guns, and they quickly run out of PP, so it's not a solution. If you happen to not have a gun at all, it's even worse. You might argue that you should have a gun at all times, but the game never tells you to and doesn't require it. It's bad design.

I doubt it's all that bad. Part of the fun in that game (PSU) is to observe and learn how the game ticks. If I see that I don't have the necessary weaponry, I keep it in mind for when I tackle that mission again. I dislike games that force me to undergo a tutorial by stopping me and giving me a forced explanation of EVERYTHING, which is why I avoided them when I could. Maya's tutorial, Laia's borefest, etc. I don't quite remember if Karen gave one and if it was forced or not, but eh... I think Leo subjected me to one in the first mission.
I keep at least a gun at all times in those games. Again, because the more variety I have in an arsenal, the better I can adapt to a given situation. So yes, I did carry a large quantity of weapons. I left synthesis for later, when worthwhile boards started appearing, not... sabers and handguns that I could obtain in a run in Parum.

As the person said, they stay on the ground for a very short time.

Yes, they do and those fights can drag a lot, which is what happened when I was in lower levels. I kept not one, but five handguns when using a hunter or force. If I was using a ranger, I kept rifles and cannons as well for spares. Those weren't bought, mind you. They were picked up during missions and not sold. I developed quite some skill for entering the menu to modify my action palette while evading the monster. That skill also came from PSO, not Universe.

In short, I agree partially there. They DO stay shortly on the ground, but you could bring several guns to the fight and discard them once you they were spent so you could pick up rewards after beating the boss.

That tactic might be because of my development with these games. I mostly played them offline and adapted to limitations differently. My online enjoyment of the games came in a short month during PSU's original run online and the last weeks of AoI. I did learn the differences between online and offline, but eh... It wasn't much of a problem for me to play alone or with the lousy cooperation of NPCs when attacking.

I mostly agree with him, and I put a lot of hours into the original and the expansion.

So did I and I still think it's bawling. I'm not big on the MMO scene. Farming cash, accumulating experience for changing classes and attending events. All of those things sound distant, so I spent most of my time playing alone. I got a good hang of the limitations in equipment and how to do a little bit of cheating in the game by playing along with its rules.

Not really. The only noticeable change I can think of is the grinding process.

There was a form of parry implemented if my memory works, collision boxes were adjusted so you could sidestep when an enemy like a vahra attacked you, PP were given a little tweaking and the inclusion of whips and a few other things as well. There were more changes, but I don't remember them off the bat.

Most of the changes were very subtle, but the one I liked the most was the inclusion of a lot of items offline like better weapons, clothing, parts, etc.

So I still consider him to be bawling with little basis.

One could argue that the NPCs are stupid beyond belief in Universe and Illuminus, but it was a jump from having NO ONE to play with you in PSO.

The games DO have limitations. The grinding process was sometimes tedious, but PSO was way worse unless you played a hunter exclusively. I could also argue that the story is not all that good and that dwells in too many anime clichés, has some annoying characters, it's predictable and other stuff... Only wait... The games are aimed at teenagers mostly... Even if old farts like us play them and find the story somewhat lame. It's not ALL that bad. The stories tend to go better as they go along.

However, the ability to freely customize your character's arsenal, techniques, photon arts and clothing (to a certain goofy extent) to suit your needs and preferences does give the game a tremendous replay value and makes it quite valuable. I am, of course, speaking from the viewpoint of someone who does NOT like to pay for online and is used to unnecessarily difficult single player games. Still, that gives me a certain advantage when learning how a game works.

[BenoitRen]

There was a form of parry implemented if my memory works

Which worked so badly it may as well not have been there. I think it was only available online.

In short, I agree partially there. They DO stay shortly on the ground, but you could bring several guns to the fight and discard them once you they were spent so you could pick up rewards after beating the boss.

In addition to available guns being weak, they also had limited range, so you had to be very close to the boss in order to even hit it. Fights against the Dimalogus (I think that was the one) were such a drag.

The grinding process was sometimes tedious, but PSO was way worse unless you played a hunter exclusively.

Are we still talking about grinding weapons? Because in PSO it's as simple as finding a grinder and using it on a weapon. In PSU, you need to find a grinder that works on your weapon's rank, and there's a chance that the grinding fails, which results in your weapon breaking. In AOTI, it's the same, except that there's a limit of 10 grinds, and when grinding fails the weapon goes back to its ungrinded state and the grind limit is decreased by one.

By Phantasy Star Portable they finally realised what a stupid idea the entire grinding process was, and changed it back to PSO's. I don't know if they also removed grinders that only worked on certain weapon ranks.

[Wing-0]

There was a form of parry implemented if my memory works

Which worked so badly it may as well not have been there. I think it was only available online.

Offline too... *shrugs*

In addition to available guns being weak, they also had limited range, so you had to be very close to the boss in order to even hit it. Fights against the Dimalogus (I think that was the one) were such a drag.

I didn't have that much problem with the Dimmagolus. The creep was actually so easy to predict that I never got too far from it and made sure to aim at its wings. The only real pain in the ass was actually that dragon in the night stage of Neudaiz that used lightning. But the rest... No, not that annoying. I didn't really have much of a problem with the bosses. I was just patient and brought enough weaponry to fights. I didn't pick many synthesis items until much later, when the better items started appearing. Why would I want to synthesize a monomate?

Are we still talking about grinding weapons? Because in PSO it's as simple as finding a grinder and using it on a weapon. In PSU, you need to find a grinder that works on your weapon's rank, and there's a chance that the grinding fails, which results in your weapon breaking. In AOTI, it's the same, except that there's a limit of 10 grinds, and when grinding fails the weapon goes back to its ungrinded state and the grind limit is decreased by one.

Erm... I was talking about character grinding. I haven't touched Phantasy Star Portable 1 in... nearly two years, but yes, the grinding for weapons was very simplified. In the two first versions of PSU, it was complicated, I'll give you that, but it also was kind of fun. It was a gamble and you chose whether to take the risk or avoid it. I don't see anything inherently wrong with that. At least online, I could cheat. If my weapon broke, I just resetted the console.

By Phantasy Star Portable they finally realised what a stupid idea the entire grinding process was, and changed it back to PSO's. I don't know if they also removed grinders that only worked on certain weapon ranks.

I Portable 2, they modified it so you don't even need grinders. You just go to the weapon store girl and pay her to grind it for you. It costs a good deal of meseta and it has a limit of 10 times. There is one "permit", if I recall obtained once or twice that you could use to upgrade your weapons to S rank. No strings attached. I used it on the Igzam.

[BenoitRen]

I didn't pick many synthesis items until much later, when the better items started appearing. Why would I want to synthesize a monomate?

I figured I could just as well pick them up in case I ever needed them for something.

Erm... I was talking about character grinding.

Ah, I see. The type system is a good idea, but leveling them up is such a grind, especially in the original. Online, there's a character level cap that gets raised whenever they feel like it.

In short, the game has too much grinding. You have to grind for almost everything.

In the two first versions of PSU, it was complicated, I'll give you that, but it also was kind of fun. It was a gamble and you chose whether to take the risk or avoid it. I don't see anything inherently wrong with that. At least online, I could cheat. If my weapon broke, I just resetted the console.

Imagine finally managing to synthesise an awesome weapon. To have it break permanently while grinding is unacceptable. You end up not using the option, so it may as well not be there.

The solution in AOTI isn't bad, but the weapon returning to an ungrinded state is too high of a penalty. It's such a grind to get high quality grinders in the first place, and then there's still a chance that it won't work. It's not fair.

I Portable 2, they modified it so you don't even need grinders. You just go to the weapon store girl and pay her to grind it for you. It costs a good deal of meseta and it has a limit of 10 times.

Awesome.

[Wing-0]

I grinded weapons. Not much because I just didn't feel like risking them, but I saw no real problem with it. Since I played mostly offline, with my few times online being intermittent because of other stuff and the fact I dislike paying for online, I never grinded online weapons. Offline, though, I could save first and then reset the console if my weapon broke or its grinding failed. With some tries, I ended up with high level weapons.

As for synthesis, I never bothered with picking up items for it, either online or offline. When I started doing so, I made nice items, but that was because I already decided to start exploring that system. As I said, the crappy boards that appeared at the beginning were monomates, sabers and the occasional handgun.

Portable 2 is basically how PSU should have been from the beginning. Shame it took them so damn long to get there. Even worse that a subcontractor (Alfa System) did it, not Sonic Team.

I had a chance to try PS Zero, and yes, it does feel like PSO in many aspects, but I don't know... The gameplay seemed sluggish to me after the Universe series. Just my personal taste. I still want it, though... I need a freaking DS, dammit...

[BenoitRen]

I grinded weapons. Not much because I just didn't feel like risking them, but I saw no real problem with it.

I imagine you would see a problem if you weren't able to cheat your way through the system by resetting the console.

Portable 2 is basically how PSU should have been from the beginning.

Yes. The person I quoted said he would probably like PSU better if it started out with that game.

[Wing-0]

I grinded weapons. Not much because I just didn't feel like risking them, but I saw no real problem with it.

I imagine you would see a problem if you weren't able to cheat your way through the system by resetting the console.

Portable 2 is basically how PSU should have been from the beginning.

Yes. The person I quoted said he would probably like PSU better if it started out with that game.

I see the problem, I just don't care about it so much. Two reasons:

1.- I played mostly offline
2.- I never really liked grinding. I usually kept getting stronger weapons without grinding.

I saw grinding as exactly what I described it. A gamble. Something completely unnecessary and pointless that can give you some sort of emotional reward risking a failure.

As for liking PSU better if it had started out like that, I really doubt it. There is enough room in Portable 2 to make a whinefest with "hurt feelings" and "taking offense" with characters alone. I've seen it.

"Oh, Emilia is such a crybaby, what a cardboardish character"

"Oh, Chelsea looks like a prostitute with that attire... And her part time job! Dear God!"

"Oh, Kraz is such a drunkard! What do they teach Japanese children!" (emphasis on the children, please)

"Oh, it's just another rehash! Neither the story nor gameplay are original! Ewwww!"

"Oh, Sega are retarded! I want to see Phantasy Star FIVE! Not Phantasy Star Online Portable One Millionth!" (This is an actual quote)

So no, I don't believe that to be true.

The whiner aside, it's a damn shame more people didn't give the series any time to sink in. When the series went to the XBox (Universe). I hope that PSO2 will fix what they didn't fix even in Portable 2 and that it gets a PS3 release.

[BenoitRen]

As for liking PSU better if it had started out like that, I really doubt it. There is enough room in Portable 2 to make a whinefest with "hurt feelings" and "taking offense" with characters alone. I've seen it.

The original PSU's Story Mode had its own whinefest, so I don't think that'd have mattered. And it wouldn't have changed the better gameplay. People don't have to play through the story, you know (and some didn't).

[BenoitRen]

More to the point, he didn't complain about the story.

[Wing-0]

He didn't? There's always a first for everything, I guess.

[The HuBBs]

new gameplay video.

12 people parties!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLWcqxmP ... r_embedded

[LegoMuskCat]

Twelve people? It beats the 4-person limitation of PSO (sucked when I wanted to play with a bunch of friends =\), but I'm wondering how chaotic it would get. >.> Also, with bigger parties implemented, would that increase the difficulty at all? I suppose these are things I'll see later on.

[IndispensablePeaGuy]

WOOOO!!! SHAMPOO ACTION!!!