Phantasy Star Online

"A nearly perfect game..."

I have never played an online game before, let alone an online RPG. I'd have to say that as my first, this is the greatest game I have ever played! Let's take a closer look at the game:

Graphics: 10/10
The graphics are awesome! I've only noticed 1 glitch in my entire time seeing or owning this game! The areas are lush and detailed, with a mixture of futuristic and natural landscapes to give a treat to the eyes. The forests are lush and green, with an awesome background of the Central Dome. The Mines, the second area, has little effects such as smoke coming up from the lava, and the red glow of all the heat makes the area look real. I'm not going to really discuss graphics much more than that.

Music/Sound: 9/10
The sound is next to perfect, with a lot of the sounds being reused a bit. The music is eerie, and effectively conveys the mystery of the disappearance of the Pioneer 1's citizens. Also, I like how the music has a quicker tone when in a battle (If you go to BGM Test in options, you'll see two parts in the level music, part 1 is normal, part 2 is ''tense'' or battle music)

Story: 9/10
I know there will be some disagreement in this, but I think there is a definite story in this game. The only thing is, you have to want to hear the story. The story is conveyed via message pads left by Red Ring Rico, a major character in this game. If you don't read the pads, you will not find much of a story, if any at all. This is because the game is made to seamlessly combine online and offline play, and the result of this is less of a story to actively interact with.

Online: 10/10
The main focus of the game, online mode is what you'll buy this game for, if not for the offline mode. You'd better have a keyboard if you play online, because without one, you'll have to choose from letters using the D-Pad, which from experience is very tedious and slow. Also, if possible, sign up for SegaNet. I've gotten people angry myself because I wasn't on SegaNet and was the cause of the occasional lag in my team. Team play is awesome, with numerous ways to play. You could even, if you really wanted to, use online mode as a Trading Post of sorts, going up to trade with people for other goods that may be rare for your character, just as long as you watch out for thieves. But don't fear, they're extremely rare, at least from my experience.

Gameplay: 10/10
This is awesome. You've got 6 customizable action buttons to use to thwart your enemies or support your teammates. The way this works is this: Map your buttons for the situation at hand. Need a fire attack at a touch of a button, just assign Foie, a fire technique, to your button map. Control is great, but the lock-on feature can pose a little problem. Whenever you near an enemy or hidden trap, your character will slow to a walk to make for easier targeting, but this leaves you open to attacks or blasts from a mine if you don't realize you're stopped and have to run away. That would pose a problem against swarms of enemies. The menus are also very easy to navigate, with the capability to do things with a few presses of the up/down buttons and the [A] button.

The great points outweigh the less-than-great points by a ton in terms of game quality! If you're a gaming addict like myself, you'll easily overlook the game's shortcomings and find a truly revolutionary gaming experience ahead of you!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/02/01, Updated 05/02/01