by Elin » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:55 pm
Um... Excuse the drive-by-n00bing of this thread, but I just thought that I'd register to say thanks for the awesome screenshots, PSP ^_^ Especially the ones of Dark Force. Phantasy Star II was just about my first RPG ever, my older brother got it for his eighth birthday, and we played it together. I was only about five at that time, and Dark Force used to absoloutely terrify me, so much so that I could barely even fight him (Or is Dark Force an 'it'? o_O Something tells me that questions as to Dark Force's gender are the sorts of things that don't even merit coherent thought... So 'him' it is). I think it was a combination of the fact that he just sort of pops up without warning with the fact that he turns your own characters against you (the idea of your trusted friends turning against you and trying to flee the battle is...rather spooky to a five year old ^_^). <p>My brothers both finished the game, but Dark Force was way too intimidating for me at that kind of age. Incidently enough, Zio and a returning Dark Force in Phantasy Star IV also scared me years later. If I were trying to defend myself, I'd say it was an echo of my fear as him as a child resurfacing...though if I'm honest it was just that I was rather yellow-bellied =P<p>Nevertheless, that sort of emotion is pretty tough to invoke using nothing but 16-bit sprites, even in a child that young and cowardly ^.^ So I was a little concerned as to his redesign. Glad to see he looks pretty much the same albeit glossier...and that they left those eerie side-faces intact.<p>Anyway, in a bad stroke of luck, my PS2 (of the console variety) broke shortly before the arrival of my copy of PS2 (of the game variety). So I was determined to search out a few screens of some of the defining moments of the game to tide me over. Your own efforts have done me nicely, and I can rest easy knowing that I'm still going to be chewing my fingernails whilst facing off against my old enemy in 128 bit =) So yes, thank you very much for the screenshots.