Why not Phantasy Star?

[Jamesfnquinn]

What's happened to our games? <br>I remember I was in 6th grade when the NES and Master System craze really hit. I remeber how cool Super Mario Brothers looked, and how Legend of Zelda sparked my sense of adventure. The Sega system never interested me, but there was always one game I saw on the shelves that made me salivate with curiosity; Phantsy Star! Looking at the back of the box I though "Holy crap! This looks amazing! 3 planet non-linear RPG! Beautiful graphics!" As an avid RPG and D&D player this was killing me! I was playing NES for a full year before I ever touched a Master Sytem controller. The best RPG I had played up to that point was Ultima-Exedous (yuk!)<br>I finally was able to play the game when my great friend had me over one night and showed me that he had this Phantasy Star game. I played for about 10 seconds before I was hooked and played the damn game for the next 2 and half years.<br>At the same time; Final Fantasy came out for the NES. I played it a lot too, but every single time I hated doing it. Why did I play it? I don't know, maybe I really wanted to like it. I wanted to know that there COULD be more games like Phantasy Star out there. Final Fantasy sucked.<br>Then Phantasy Star began over the next several years; to pop out sequels that were excellent if not perfect follow ups. But the best thing about all those sequels is finding out how all your heros relate to each other and the evolution of the Algo solar sytem. Some things were lame, some things were funny, others heartbreaking, but overall it was a beautiful seamless story that they created. So beautiful that we have all felt it's absence since the day we finished Phantasy Star 4 the first time. <br>When PSO came out, many of us felt betrayed. Playing PSO for me was like watching an old friend become an abusive alcholic, or seeing someone else kiss your girlfriend. Some of us forced ourselves to like it, but the truth is; our beautiful Phantasy Star has been sold like some cheap whore, and they have scarred her.<br>Yet still Final Fantasy; a game that was inferior from the very beginning has spawned countless sequels, is on TV commercials, and has degenerated adventure and sci-fi to "Saved by the Bell". And yet it thrives and becomes more popular with every sequel, no matter how bad the games are.<br>Now I ask...why not Phantasy Star? Was is marketing? Was it distribution? What happened to our Phantasy Star!!? I wish they would have called PSO something else. Anything else. And what are they doing with Phantasy Star Universe? I'm scared to hope for anything good. When will it stop? How much are they going to shake up everything we have all worked so hard to uncover in the stories of Algo? Are video games the new comic books, where we can just throw away YEARS of development and continuity and superb character development, just because some design team has no freiking idea what Phantasy Star is?<br>Sorry...I'm just frustrated. Does anyone else feel anything like this?

[gm2987]

Agree about everything you said, however I don't want PS series to be mainstreem, I hate FF7 mainly because its just an okay game and people call it the "Greatest game of all time" Thats total BS to any RPG player whos first RPG wasn't FF7 -_-'' None of the FF games have been good after 6, maybe besides 8 (was like a renewal of the series and the fan base hated it, I never understood why, maybe it was becuase we didn't have an insane sycopath as a hero and we didn't have so many sterotypes for one character that it fills up the whole game making it seem like thats all there is. or maybe it was the ripoff death scene of Alys/Nei that made it so popular) one thing is for sure, I have yet to play a game that goes back to the basics in years, character development, interesting storyline, compelling origional ideas, ect. See thats what really pissed me off about my game, I HAD ALL THAT! ^_^ (which is one reason I'm... meh not talking about it yet >.>) and yet I seriously herd little to none feedback about my game -_-''

[Saner2]

well it's kinda like the Timesplitters games. <p>Timesplitters 2 beats the **** out of Halo and other console first person shooters in every way!!!!!<p>and Timesplitters Future Perfect will send Halo 2 to the trash dump. <p>but you see the Timesplitters games lack the hype and attention that Halo got. it's really about marketing and getting the word out and etc. etc. <p>there are OS's far superior to Windows. but not everyone knows about them and Microsoft's monopoly over that market goes to show how better things are underrated and not as well known as other things. <p>it's unfair but if Sega supported Phantasy Star more during the gap between PS4 and PSO, then it would have a stronger audience now. <p>

[ThePeaGuy]

I agree completely with all you said about the Phantasy Star (PS) series except for your invalid criticism on PSO. Why, exactly, has PSO betrayed its fans?<p>Your reasons on why you hate PSO are probably either:<p>1. You never had the full experience of playing PSO online.<p>2. Just for it being different in gameplay than the rest of the PS series.<p>3. It doesn't take place in the same universe.

[Saner2]

PSO is not a TRUE PS game!!!! <p>well ya it borrows some stuff but PSO is really just a dungeon crawler with a tiny tiny 'town/market' for a HUB.<p>PS games were MORE than that! I know PSO is not a MMORPG or a RPG. it's just a online RPG. but its really just a dungeon hack. <p>plus PSO ignores largely the many things that made PS games great. like the Motavians and Dezolians. and they really ****ed up the Numans ears in most of the designs. the clothing design and stuff are also very foreign from PS games. no to mention most of the hairstyles. <p>PSO was fun and all, but it could've been much greater to make it really worth it's monthly fee. <p>I just dont feel PSO does justice to the Phantasy Star name and potential.<br>

[LegoMuskCat]

Phantasy Star deserves far more recognition and credit than any of those other lesser RPGs. It's a shame that FF has only gained more popularity with each new game, no matter how much they suck, and their loyal fans still love 'em...

[Saner2]

hey FF12 will be really really really awesome, Matsuno is a genius at everything he creates, no matter what it is. <p>But yeah overall FFgames before FF11 are pretty lame. <p>but really, Im not saying PSO games suck. I'm just saying PSO is NOT good enough. But yeah PSO is fun. but if it were up to me, I would have made it into a MMORPG and kept it true to the classic PS games, it would take place in the Algo system, etc. etc. <br>BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO NOTE the majority of people who will play the game know nothing of PS, so the online game would be a great way to teach and show them about it, which PSO fails to do and instead creates something almost entirely different. <p><p>[size=small][Edit by Saner2 on [TIME]1109117881[/TIME]][/size]

[Jamesfnquinn]

<blockquote><i>Originally posted by ThePeaGuy</i><p>I agree completely with all you said about the Phantasy Star (PS) series except for your invalid criticism on PSO. Why, exactly, has PSO betrayed its fans?<p>Your reasons on why you hate PSO are probably either:<p>1. You never had the full experience of playing PSO online.<p>2. Just for it being different in gameplay than the rest of the PS series.<p>3. It doesn't take place in the same universe.<br></blockquote><p>Here's the deal. I played PSO like a fanatic when it came out. I assumed it would be like PSIII, in the sense that everything would make sense once I'd played through the game. But it didn't. The ending was weak, and there is zero replay value from an RPG stadpoint (unless you enjoy building up of three months just to find some hidden easter egg) Also, the gameplay is horrible. There only so many times you can hit the A button in rythmic pattern of 3 before you start to feel like the game sucks. The dungeons were extremely weak. As an online game, it's pretty cool. But that's it. If I'm going to pay a monthly fee, it better be for a game that's far more than "pretty cool". Duels are pointless cause there's always some eight year old who's built up his guy for six months ruling it. Plus, no matter how much you can do online, all battles just resort to: pew...pew...pew. A button, A button, A button...repeat for five thousand hours. The character designs are ridiculous. I feel like I'm playing a cirus freak show rather than a sci-fi classic.<br>And no...it doesn't take place in the Phantasy Star universe. So why the hell is it called Phantasy Star? Because it's a whore's game created to make money for the Sonic Team without any regards to the fans who actually pay the money. <br>So there. =)

[Malakai]

I for one am glad that Phantasy Star is not a popular entertainment icon as is Final Fantasy. I believe that had Phantasy Star gained the same degree of laud and attention that FF did, then I fear that the same tragedies and misfortunes would have plagued the PS series. I mean look at the FF series now. From FF9 to the present they have fallen into a horrible chasm of graphic prositution and downsized game content. It's all just a romantic facade, and you don't even have to think anymore to get through an FF game. I don't care about how FF12, 13, 20, or 220 will be. I've become apathetic to them all after FF8.<p>Anyway, I think that one thing that attracted me to PS so much was that not everyone was playing it. All my friends were playing street fighter and golden axe and I was tired of those games. Remember when Chrono first came out? Hardly anyone knew about it or what it was, because the FF series and the beat-em-up games were standing in the limelight blinding everyone. And now the Chrono series is one the most intricate and innovative RPG series ever made. I feel that PS is appreciated by those that are truly capable of recognizzing a good RPG and giving it the that is credit due. So of course PS is better than FF, but no one's going to admit it to an audience that wants the games to pander to its indolent gaming mind.<p>And as for PSO...meh. To each his/her own. It's fun to play when I want to play something different online but that still reminds me of PS a little bit.

[ROMeo]

IMHO, PSO was both a good and a bad thing. <p>A bad thing because we would have loved to see the Algo system in 3D glory.<p>A good thing because PS' story had already ended. As bad a company as Sega is, at least they had the decency of showing PS some respect and leave the beautiful story they created as it was, instead of prostituting it and making as many sequels as the name was able to sell *cough*Matrix*cough* until the audience ended up despising it.<p>I think it was a good thing leaving the Algo system in the fondness of our memories and rather starting over with a new story. I agree with Saner in that PSO is a dungeon crawler, not an RPG, but that doesn't make it a bad game, in fact it's the best dungeon crawler I have yet to see. The gameplay is great (if unbalanced in ultimate), the designs are superb, the music is of a quality I can only compare to Jeremy Soule as gaming soundtracks is concerned, the storyline, for those that either have the Book of Hunters or were able to put all cryptic pieces together, is of PS-quality, and overal it's an amazing game that definitely only a team of women could have created.<p>If you're looking for a 3D PS game my personal suggestion is that you refer to Cyber Twiligth, I have heard it has a degree of customization and proneness for user-made content like that of Neverwinter Nights, so it isn't hard to think of someone putting together a sci-fi mod for it that matched Algo's likeness.

[Lietz]

yes Phantasy star is one of the great ones, I even like it more than the game that got me in to RPGs FF4.... hmmm now that i think of it 4 is a good # for me, PS4 and FF4 good times... good times... <p>And about FF being crappy, it wasnt that bad till FF5 skip 6 and go to 7 and on.<p>Also does anybody like the Ogre Battle games I hate square for buying out the team behind those games :@

[Benoit]

<blockquote>our beautiful Phantasy Star has been sold like some cheap whore, and they have scarred her</blockquote><br>Riiight.<br>They took the Phantasy Star name and the elements, and they did something new and ground-breaking with it. The first ever online console RPG, with great gameplay, graphics, and online system. PSO got several awards for that.<br> <blockquote>PSO is not a TRUE PS game!!!!</blockquote><br>Ignorance.<p>It has the sci-fi/medieval mix.<br>It has an innovating battle system.<br>It has a story that makes you think.<br>It has magic/Techniques.<p>Yup, true Phantasy Star game.<br> <blockquote>plus PSO ignores largely the many things that made PS games great. like the Motavians and Dezolians. and they really ****ed up the Numans ears in most of the designs. the clothing design and stuff are also very foreign from PS games. no to mention most of the hairstyles.</blockquote><br>So to be Phantasy Star it always has to look the same, even in a different storyline of a different universe? Pathetic.<br> <blockquote>I assumed it would be like PSIII, in the sense that everything would make sense once I'd played through the game. But it didn't.</blockquote><br>Big mistake. You shouldn't expect games to be this way or that way, or you will almost definitely be disappointed.<br> <blockquote>The ending was weak</blockquote><br>It is for people who ignore the story.<br> <blockquote>there is zero replay value from an RPG stadpoint</blockquote><br>Building up your character by leveling up. Collecting items. Always been a part of RPGs. And then this extends into the challenge of online play.<br> <blockquote>Also, the gameplay is horrible. There only so many times you can hit the A button in rythmic pattern of 3 before you start to feel like the game sucks.</blockquote><br>I have news for you. You can use more than the A button. Yes, really! Not just for items either! 6 buttons!<br>Oh yeah, and there's this 'hidden' feature, mastered by the Force class. What was it again? Right, Techniques!<br>OMG the gampley sux!!!!!!!!111<br> <blockquote>Duels are pointless</blockquote><br>That's a side feature. The real thing is the cooperative play.<br> <blockquote>Plus, no matter how much you can do online, all battles just resort to: pew...pew...pew. A button, A button, A button...repeat for five thousand hours.</blockquote><br>See above.<br> <blockquote>The character designs are ridiculous. I feel like I'm playing a cirus freak show rather than a sci-fi classic.</blockquote><br>You played the FOnewm? o_O<br> <blockquote>And no...it doesn't take place in the Phantasy Star universe. So why the hell is it called Phantasy Star?</blockquote><br>God forbid we make something new and innovate! We all want the PS2 and endless sequels!<br> <blockquote>Because it's a whore's game created to make money for the Sonic Team without any regards to the fans who actually pay the money.<br>So there. =)</blockquote><br>See above.<br><p>[size=small][Edit by Benoit on [TIME]1109174778[/TIME]][/size]

[Saner2]

nope nope nope Benoit. you wouldn't say those things if PSO was called Something Something Online instead. <p>PSO doesn't represent 100% of Phantasy Star's quality. <br>only like maybe 50%. <p>

[Jamesfnquinn]

Benoit-<br>I've not gotten personal, but you have. So here it goes.<br>If you like the game, then more power to you. You get what you want..all 3 episodes of PSO, and probobly many more versions just like it to come. So go ahead and level up your character all day long it that makes you feel lke you're playing an RPG. But don't talk about the compelling story of PSO like it's The Godfather or something. You probobly thought Star Wars; Episode 1 was awesome too. <br><p>[size=small][Edit by Jamesfnquinn on [TIME]1109192395[/TIME]][/size]

[Kars!]

pso clearly doesn't represent 100% of Phantasy Star's quality , but was a first experiment!!<p>i find is game system quite good ( but clearly it's not the best yet) , you say "push A button" , 'cause in a normal rpg you don't push button??? personally i find FF11 combat system very crap , i like pso real time battle<br>i wish they could give me more than 6 buttons ( forces lack the buttons >_<)<p>also i agree on this: at least half of the models are ugly , HUNTER IS A TOTAL CRAP >_< , when i first saw him i was about to crying !@#$ , thinking rolf&Chaz were so cool !@#$ <p>for the story: clearly it's an action game ~_~ <p>i think Sega lost a lot not making a ps on saturn! <p>FF: i like ff7 , it's a great game (and i play it after ps4, i enjoyed them both) , FF8 was crap for a lot of reason , firstly the stupidity of the story development and absurdity of sidequest<p>again on FFX: you were talking about "no brain" game? i agree , many side quest were totally impossible without a guide , also they were totally absurd about "reality" <br>sadly many games put on sub games that don't relate to the real game plot !@#$ <p>i love PS4 guild! that were real subquest!!