Phantasy Star II Newman Revolution Question

[oniryu246]

Hey all. I just joined these forums, but iv visited the site for some time now. I have been a fan of the Phantasy Star series for years. (starting with PSO)

Anyway, the question!

I have had an interest in playing Phantasy Star II. However I really want to play a re-balanced version such as the Generation 2 variant on the PS2. Nonetheless, Gen 2 is a ways away from being completed, and I can't say I like Nei's redesign all that much. It's not bad, I just feel like she lost some of her charm.

So! Someone directed me to the Newman Revolution mod of PSII. I read the description and it sounded exactly like what I was looking for... until I read:
"An all-new storyline!" and "This patch changes nearly every aspect of the original game. "
This led me to think that the mod wan't for me until I read. "and the plot has been greatly overhauled, meaning 95% of the text is new."
So now im super confused. Is this an "improvement" mod? Or is it a completely new game that used PSII as a base?

So... if this mod is not what I am looking for, is their any mod that just overhauls the mechanics in Newman Revolution? I guess something similar to the Easy Mode mod on RomHacking... without being a total joke of a challenge.

[Kyence]

Hello! I have played this mod. It is more of an improvement mod. Monsters have different color pallettes, and I think give you double the experience and meseta. There are some new weapons and armor, while some have been removed. Some people have access to additional equipment they didn't in the original game. EDIT: Everyone, especially Nei and Anna, have new techniques at their disposal. There are changes to the dialogue, and some twists to the script and certain events, but overall it is a derivation of the same game. I enjoyed playing it:) I even made a chart of how the item stats changed. Nei lost some of her inventory but was able to equip much more.
Also, a cool feature of these mods is that you can recruit everyone at the start of the game. You simply enter Rolf's home, and a new team member will be there...go in and out, and a new person will be there every time until you recruit Shir. It's fun to play with the team dynamic early on in the game; it also makes Hugh more useful

If you want a different take on PS2, it's certainly worth a play.

[oniryu246]

Awesome! Thank you so much. I really appreciate the informative description. So, you have the "option" to get every single member at the start? Or do I have too now? Does that mean the plot is heavily changed as far as running into people as the game progresses like it originally did? If so, is their an option to not recruit everyone at the start, so the general narrative isn't to heavily altered?

One last question from the read me ...again (>.< I know I quote too much)

"-AHDS-8AAL: This code will be required later. "

Is this part of the game, like a future puzzle or something? Ooooooor does the mod literally require that I input a cheat code outside of the game in the emulator to play it. I feel like this might be difficult if I am playing it on a PSP, Phone, or Console emulator like I probably will.

I'm sorry if I sound like I am being really nit-picky. It's just that I want to have as pleasant a PSII play through as possible... and know that if something can go wrong with a game hack, it always does. t.t (at least for me)

Again, thank you so much for the response.

[BenoitRen]

In Phantasy Star II, your party members have no effect on the story. It doesn't matter whether you can get all of them at the start or one by one as you play through the game.

[oniryu246]

I see, that clears that up then. ^_^ Aside from the code thing, I think this mod sounds like something I defiantly plan on using. Although I am still a little nervous that I may need to use a code mid game... one thing isn't enough to denture me from using what sounds like an otherwise great version on PSII.

Thank yuuuuu! <3

[Kyence]

The code is a mod you can use in the emulator. I use the PicoDrive emulator. You just have to enter the code into an empty Notepad file but save it with the [exact rom name].pat extension, not .txt. Then when the game says you can use it, go into Picodrive's cheat menu and load the .pat...it will work. It is an optional code, you don't need to use it if you do not want to, it's for a very specific option