"Amazing, uniting the world together in one incredible game!"

Gameplay The game is definitely the big thing in this game. The system is amazing easy to get used to. It consists of mapping certain keys to the the X A B keys of your controller and having a sub menu by pressing R. The gameplay is very addicting, especially when you finally get to log online. PSO has three difficulty settings depending on how far you've gotten offline or what your level is online. Each difficulty setting raises the chances you have for getting a rare and also, you'll receive more exp. This is by far the most fun Dreamcast game I have purchased. You will spend many sleepless nights talking to newly met friends and looking for rares. There are also non-linear quests you can participate in for money and exp. You will be able to battle along side NPC's. You will also be able to download new quests onto your VMU to play if the many quests included weren't enough. Amazing gameplay, best in its class.

Story To cut things short, there really isn't a storyline in this game. It starts off with you having to look for the crashed ship on Ragul. The lack of a story does not take away at the game at all fortunately.

Graphics and Sound The graphics in PSO are jaw dropping. It really shows what the Dreamcast can put out. The worlds are huge and gorgeous with many minute details found everywhere you would look carefully. The sound fits for the mood of the area you're in. There are many great tracks that you would love to listen over and over. Luckily, there is a jukebox sort of option where you can play all the tracks you have encountered while playing.

Replayability This is an easy one. When playing Phantasy Star, there is never an urge to want to quit. You will always feel like just leveling up, finding new rares, or just chatting. Online play is what really makes the replayability high. If you cannot get online, then you may not be playing this game as long as a larger RPG.

Rent or Buy? This game is definitely a buy. If getting the game wasn't enough, packed inside the game case is a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. You will be playing this for a very long time. If you were to rent it, most likely you wouldn't be able to play online. Buying this game would be a very smart choice for any action/RPG fan. You will not be able to enjoy the full experience of Phantasy Star with just five days of gameplay and without being able to log on. If you liked Diablo, then you'll love Phantasy Star Online.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/01, Updated 03/16/01