Phantasy Star Universe

"This game will keep you busy for a long time to come"

Story-N/A

I do not have enough knowledge of the japanese language to give this a fair rating. From what I have seen, the story does have its good moments. Cutscenes all contain voice-overs by professional voice actors. There are appropriate music in these cutscenes to fit the mood, whether it be humorous or serious. The cutscenes that contain humour are not over the edge and will most likely make you laugh. The action cutscenes seem often to be cliched and will remind you of things that you have seen in other movies. These cutscenes are however well done and will make you want to seem them. Do NOT expect an epic storyline that you would see in other RPGs. The story can often be predictable and it isn't littered with unexpected plot twists.

Story/Event Mode-8/10

What makes offline mode so exciting is the fact that this mode offers something new and fresh that you wont be able to do in network mode. PSO single-player was incredibly boring because it was EXACTLY like online mode except that you couldn't play with other people. There are noticeable differences between offline and online such as unreleased items,rares, and missions among other things. You will want to play this mode in order to get a full taste of what the game has to offer.

My biggest complaint about the offline mode is Phantasy Star Universe is Extra Mode. It was nice that they added it, especially considering that Story Mode is large enough to not need it. But, that is still not any excuse to be lazy about it. Learn this about Extra Mode: this mode more closely resembles exactly what story mode is like and NOT what network mode is like. Why is that a bad thing when I was just praising how good offline mode is because of the differences from Network Mode? It is because it limits what you can do. The closest you will get to a harder difficulty setting is SEED infested areas. This means that you will easily be too powerful for an area and it will no longer be a fun place to play. Once you get to a very high level, the only useful place to level will be the last area. Had Sonic Team spent a little extra time to add difficulty settings in Extra Mode, then the mode would have been more fun.

My other complaint would involve anything that is on a battle stage that doesn't involve fighting. SEED exterminating is decent for the first time. But, after so many times of doing it over again, you start to become really annoyed. I can understand that Sonic Team wants to add variety to the gameplay so that doesn't consist of only battling. I think that more minor tasks like PM feeding and shopping is enough to add variety. The tank and lunga missions are both accompanied with a strict timer which means that you wont be able to slow down and actually try enjoying these vehicles. I really think that most people will be glad when these tasks are finished and you are able to get back to the core gameplay.

Network Mode-10/10

You can select between four races: Humans(the all-around character), Newmans(specialize in techniques), Casts(specialize in accuracy), and Beasts(specialize in attack power). Each race has their own strengths in weakness in their own stat areas. You can also choose between male or female. Genders have different stats only in Network Mode. Beasts have the ability to use Nanoblast which transforms you into a powerful monster and allows you to stomp on enemies with increased killing power. Casts have the ability to summon a huge gun, called an SUV weapon, to let out a short spurt of powerful shots that hit every enemy directly in you.

The main thing that sets Phantasy Star Universe apart from Phantasy Star Online is Photon Arts(PA). The three class jobs, hunter/ranger/force/, all use Photon Arts very differently. Every weapon has a set amount of PP which decreases every time you use a Photon Art. Once your PP is too low to afford the cost of a PA, you can no longer use that Photon Art. Hunter photon arts are flashy melee weapon moves that can do one the following: hit the enemy multiple times, send the enemy flying into the air, attack every enemy on a set area around you, or push the enemy backwards. Force PAs are the ability to use magic known as technics or techniques. Techniques come in fire, ice, lightning, earth, light, or dark. Techniques of each element include both attack techniques and support techniques. Ranger PAs give you the ability to inflict hindering status effects on the enemy.

There are three types of leveling: Character, Photon Art, and Class levels. Photon Art experience is achieved by successfully hitting an enemy. A PA changes in shape or form when you level a PA to 11 and then to 21. Class experience is gotten by clearing a mission. Class levels increase your stats as well as affect expert classes(which is not yet unlocked).

Item synthesis is required in order to make some of the best stuff available in the game. To make an item, you need a board, which is essentially a recipe. The board tells you what ingredients you need to make the item. Once you have gathered all the required items, you are ready to make the item. In addition to telling you the ingredients, the board will also tell you what the percentage the weapon has of breaking when you try to make it. If you want to increase your chances, you have to feed something called a Partner Machinery(PM). To have your chances increase for the type of item you want to make, you have to feed your PM the proper items that will make it level in the correct areas.

Grinding a weapon greatly increases a weapon's attack power, as well as ata, and pp. However, your weapon has a chance of breaking in the process. To increase your chances of your weapon not breaking, it is a smart idea to use a suitable grinder. For example, you are currently in possession of a weapon that is +2 and you want to get the weapon to +3. You would want to use a +4 grinder in order to have the safest chance of grinding the weapon to +3.

You can buy and sell items at shops run by real people called Player Shops. You can search for an item that you want and a list of shops that have the item will come up. You can then decide whether you like the prices at that shop or try your luck elsewhere.

Network Mode consists of parties that can reach up to 6 people. You may also have a Story Mode NPC as well a PM join your party under certain circumstances. These extra characters can be kicked at any time and will not allow you to exceed the 6 person limit. Missions are broken up between 3 planets with multiple missions on each planet. Every mission has a C, B, A rank difficulty settings. The higher the rank, the higher the requirement is to join that mission. Network Mode starts out with only 6 missions, a character level cap of 50, That may not seem like much, but there is ALWAYS something to use meseta for. Whether it is to go at a shopping spree at Player Shops or NPC shops, to raise a PM, or to grind a weapon, it will cost you a fortune to do whatever it takes in order to get the best gear. You now have the ability to randomly distribute gear between players. This allows every player to get an almost equal share of the found items. A death in Network Mode will mean a decreased meseta and job exp reward for completing a mission. If a scapedoll revives you, your mission reward does not go down. You can easily blacklist an abusive player as well as lock a party to prevent strangers from joining.

Cons:
1. There is no word wrap and widescreen support.
2. If you bring up a window while the game is loading, the music will not load.
3. You can't move your character while you have a window up.
4. You are not able to alt+tab while in fullscreen mode
5. Various game counters in far out places often make setting up a mission more difficult than it needs to be.

Graphics-9/10

You kick up grass when you walk. You can see leaves fall down as you wander. You can see the steam covering the skies as you sit in the hot springs. PSU adds in little effects that make the game seem realistic and fun to look at. Phantasy Star Universe keeps the same anime-style artwork that PSO fans loved. Everything is detailed down to a character's features. Cutscenes try to make you feel as if you really are watching an anime. The graphics have however caused lag for people even if they are on the correct graphic settings. You will almost never be able to play PSU at 60FPS.

Sound- 10/10

I love the sound. A lot of people will probably may end up being annoyed by the grunts and voices that go on during gameplay. I do not mind the voices, but I also think that the game would be just as well off without them. The actual game music is definitely worth hearing. The music fits the setting well and, for the most part, is very memorable. I cant wait to hear the orchestrated soundtrack whenever it comes out.

Overall-9/10

If you liked PSO, buy the game. If you are new to the series, I would still recommend it. PSU borrows elements from other RPGs, but feels different enough in its own right, to give you a very unique and refreshing experience that is not so common. Whether you want to play casual or hardcore, you will find something to keep you busy. Most importantly of all, PSU will keep you entertained.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/06