Phantasy Star Universe

"It's 2007... and PSU has finally delivered."

Ignore all 06 reviews really... PSU at launch was a joke that a lot of gamers didn't find funny.
Nowadays, The content is there, a whole extra episode is there, and a ton of the problems are gone...

GRAPHICS - 10/10
Yes, the graphics engine isn't the most advanced out there. It's comparable to Squaresoft's engine, and it doesn't try to claim anything better, being a 'anime MMORPG' at it's heart.

SOUND - 7/10
Yes, the music, except 'Save This World', does grate sometimes, but only due to the usual problems any game has.
The spot effects are suitably good, and footsteps are governed by what someone is stepping on. There are bugs with the 'fanfare' sound, with sometimes weird spot effects occuring.

GAMEPLAY - 6/10 [Story]
Story Mode is incredibly long sometimes, and the fact that you need to play through a day solid of Ethan Waber's adventures to get even the 'free trial' of Extra Mode is a pain for 'dip-in' players.

GAMEPLAY - 7/10 [EXTRA]
As I said before, 'Free Trial'. You get a demonstration of what Online Mode offers, in that you get the staggeringly comprehensive Customization Mode (If you do two people who look exactly the same, without planning to, please mail me.) and Free Missions, but you don't get the other people with you, beyond the normal game's cast.

GAMEPLAY - 10/10 [Network]
Now here is where the meat of the game is... Every few weeks, some new event comes up... When I posted this review, The Gurhal System was preparing to celebrate the 16th Birthday of Sonic The Hedgehog while people alsohave the chance to take the story of PSU through to the end of the online-exclusive second episode... and there's also the promised expansion...

CUSTOMIZATION - 10/10
PSO offered a few thousand combinations, and classes governed uniqueness rather than personal taste.
PSU offers literally trillions of combinations, governed by race and gender, and SEGA are unlikely to get all 7 billion people in the world all set up their 10 characters in one particular race... although they will be able to support it.

OVERALL - 10/10
Yes, the gameplay isn't great, but the more you give, the more you get. Give it five minutes every few days, and you'll get nothing...
Give it what it needs, and complete the story's two episodes, and you'll get a rich experience out of it.
Give it more than what it needs, and do free missions with friends, acquaintances, and that newbie you barely know, and you'll earn a lot more than you would when it started.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/07