Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2

"A nearly perfect game gets even better!"

I'm sure some of the people who have read the Reviews page for PSOv1 have seen my review on the page. Interestingly enough, my opinions of the game haven't gone down. In fact, they've skyrocketed. Get your hands on a controller with this game in the system and you'll see what I mean.

Graphics: Well, being I had to restart my characters since I imported v2, I haven't gotten a REAL chance to see some of the new improvements, but I can tell you there are many. Go into Challenge Mode - Stage 1. Take a look there...the Forest scene you're so used to has changed. There's a beutiful sunset (not like you'd have the time to look at that sunset, but there is one...). The areas in Battle Mode are stunning as well, especially the Temple stage. (10/10)

Sound: Not much, if anything at all, has changed here. Still the same sound effects. The soccer game is pretty neat in terms of sound effects, but still nothing ''amazing'' or ''spectacular'' here to talk about. (9/10)

Music: I'm putting this in a different category because of the fact that the new songs in v2 are AMAZING! The introduction music ''The whole new world'' has been changed. Instead of ''la la la la'' there are now spoken words (in English, oddly enough). The battlemode area music is also great. Enter the spaceship area and watch your adrenelin level get pumped up with the music (and for those of you who have played previous Phantasy Star games, get a kick out of the little remixes of some of the songs in the music). Enter the Temple area and you'll get music that fits that area well. (10/10)

Storyline: If there IS a storyline change/upgrade it would probably be in Ultimate, although I can't really speculate on that because of my current level limitations. (9/10)

Features: If it were possible to give higher than a 10, I'd do it. The FEATURES of this game are what make it the ultimate Dreamcast game. I'll go into each here.
Ultimate Difficulty: Think VERY HARD was easy? Get ready to have yourself slammed into the dirt, because Ultimate (Ulty for some of us v2ers) is gonna' really pound you into the dirt. That Spread Needle you used to clear out VHard? Might as well throw it into a trash compactor, because you won't have ANY use for it in Ultimate. You'll have to find yourself a v2 Rare before you can even HOPE to fight the new enemies.
Challenge Mode: This mode really IS a challenge. You are temporarily reset to Level 1 and given bare-bonees equipment. (Saber for Hunters, Handgun for Rangers, and...I forget what Forces start with, I've never made a Force.) Complete the designated Stage (there are 9 total) as quickly as you can. Here's where the CHALLENGE kicks in. You can only afford to die ONCE. You get ONE scape doll. Die without a Scape and the Stage is a failure. I'm not gonna' tell you what you get if you complete Challenge mode in under a certain time, though, because that'd spoil the suprise.
Battle Mode: This is so far my favorite mode by far. Go up against your fellow hunters in a little friendly contest. Up to 4 people can be in a battlemode match. Yes LAG is present and can cause problems sometimes, but it's still fun. Want to fight a LVL 120? What level are you...? (I'm going to use myself as an example) 29?! Seem a bit of an unfair fight? Not when you set up specific modes...here's the rundown.
Battle Mode 1: COME IN AS YOU ARE, LEVEL, EQUIPMENT, AND STATS. This mode is targeted at # of kills.
Battle Mode 2: Reset to Level 1 w/ NOTHING. You can only use what you find on the battlefield. This mode is also targeted at # of kills.
Battle Mode 3: Reset to Lvl1, same as battle 2 except for this: Mode 3 is a WARP BATTLE. Use warps to get from place to place. Quick movement is ALWAYS possible with this mode (perfect for when you want to run away).
Battle Mode 4: Reset. Meseta Battle. Collect as much meseta as possible. Keep in mind the standard PSO death rule though. Die and drop ALL your meseta. The tables can turn VERY fast if you're in the lead and die.
Lobby Soccer: Bored in the normal lobbies (1-10)? Go to 11-15 and you can play soccer with others, although right now the fields have been rather empty. There are many types of ball to use, including a Giant Chu-Chu, a beachball style ball, and a few others. Good for killing time.
Dressing Room: Want to change how you look? Have 100,000 meseta stored ON HAND (not in Check Room/Bank) and it's possible. Keep in mind though that you can only change your hair and costume.
New Rares: Want something NEW instead of using the same weapon all the time? Well, you'll need new v2 rares for Ultimate anyhow, so there are a LOT of new rares for you.
Increased Balance: Remember how the manual said that Androids should have the highest ATP in v1? What was their max ATP? 710, the same as all the other HUs. RAs ATA caps were equal, and FOs MST were (or so I think). Now things are more lined up the way they should be. Yes there are still a few inbalances, but all in all the balance has been improved.
Max Level: Tired of being at a standstill when you hit level 100? Well, how about another 100 levels to grow? Max level in v2: 200. (Score: 10/10, although I'd like to rate it higher than 10)

Well, that about covers it. I think that v2 will be the new wave of PSO, and will last a lot longer than original PSO did in terms of excitement. And don't worry, you don't have to leave your v1 friends behind. You can still go into v1 games, and you can create v1 compatable games. Be sure to arrange a meeting time and place with your friends if you import, however, because if you have to start over as I did you won't have your old guild cards. PSOv2 is by far the best video game I've played.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/04/01, Updated 08/04/01