Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2

"Phantasy Star from a new perspective (OFFLINE MODE)"

First off, a little history, or lack thereof... I'm coming into the Phantasy Star universe never having played any of the original games in the series, and too late to have a chance to give online mode a try. What I find, consistently, are reviews that downgrade the game because it doesn't have enough RPG elements to it like the original games did, is not upgraded enough from the original PSO, or, that the game is simply too shallow in offline mode. Well... I don't have the honor of comparing it to anything but itself, in offline mode, as a stand alone game, and this review is for those people, like me, who are collecting some of the great DC games you can get dirt cheap now.

Story: 7/10

The story is simplistic enough... you are a hunter aboard Pioneer 2, a huge ship looking to colonize on planet Ragol, only to find the place completely empty of any civilized life after a huge explosion rocks the planet unexpectedly, just as Pioneer 2 is trying to make contact with the original settlers. This is where the game begins... where it falls short, is in the execution of the story, not so much the story itself. The actual story, the first time playing through, had me excited to see the ending as I approached the end of the game, but the only interaction you get with the story is via message beacons left by a famous hunter on Ragol, and through characters in the side missions you play throughout the game. Overall, though, the story is interesting and is enough to keep your attention the first time through the game.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are simply outstanding... the forest, the waterfall in the caves, the lighting effects in the mines, all really draw you into the game world and make you feel like you're really there. The only small criticism is that many objects that are deep on the horizon aren't visible until you get a little closer. In other words, in some of the really large rooms, you can be looking right across to the other wall, and not see the treasure boxes there until you get closer, and then they seem to just appear. It's really not as bad as it sounds, though, and compared to the other great visuals, you'll forgive it quite easily.

Sound: 9/10

Very few games, in my opinion, have a better soundtrack than this game (I refer you to games such as Tenchu or Castlevania: SOTN). The music perfectly fits each situation, and though certain tunes get old after a while, you'll soon realize it's because you've been playing for so very many hours. ANYTHING is going to get old listening to it that long. The blending of the music is seamless from area to area, and it's something you really have to hear to appreciate. The music has a very surreal, spacey feel to it that is quite often very slow and haunting, and yet other times upbeat and techno-driven. Lots of variety in the musical score, and all fit the atmosphere perfectly.

Gameplay: 9/10

Addictive! Lots of customization for your character (though I always want more!), lots of cool stuff to find, plenty of lands and dungeons to explore, a good amount of interesting monsters to defeat, and a fighting system that, to me, is almost perfect. Offline mode has been said to be too boring to play... I can understand this from a player who has been playing primarily online, since I can only imagine how great this game would be in online mode. But I've never been spoiled by that... and aside from a few missions that do tend to drag out a bit long, this game is just plain fun to play! So much to explore and find... it's a great adventure. My only complaint? I want more! More stuff, more monsters, more levels to explore... only a few things that keep it from being perfect. The aiming of ranged weapons is flawed, as sometimes it's very hard to aim in the heat of battle, and to aim at the creature you want to aim at. Some of the levels are also a bit simplistic in layout, consisting of room/hallway/room and lots of repetition (although levels do change a bit from mission to mission and often give the levels a rather fresh feel to them). The biggest problem (in in harder modes, blessing!) is that if you're ever in too much trouble, you can just leave the room, and the monsters there can't follow you across the threshold of the door. It is the only thing that seems to take away from the 'realism' if you will, of the combat structure of the game. I totally disagree with those who say it's simply tapping AAA combo over and over... to execute the combo, you must time the presses of the button, and many battle require some strategy and planning to overcome the bosses (and speaking of which, the boss fights are some of the best ever in any video game in my opinion).

I think PSO V2 is a game that it's more fair to say... it's not flawed, but leaves you wishing you had a lot more. Most people tend to rate it poorly based on the fact that it is not much better than the original PSO... well, that's like saying the Star Wars trilogy sucks because they only added a few new effects and re mastered the sound from the original movies. It's still just as good or better I'm sure, just maybe not worth spending the money to upgrade. In any sense, as a stand alone game, the amount of customization and adventure to be had is easily much more than I've had for many other console games of any sort, even in simple old offline mode. If you own a Dreamcast, this game should be in your collection.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/29/03