Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II

"Welcome to your new online life!"

The first online game for the cube is a big one. PSO will be around for awhile, without a doubt. The game excells in so many areas where other games do not, setting it apart from them, and almost making a genre all for itself.

Story --- 7/10
First off I would just like to say how hard it is to include a good story for a MMORPG as this one. Think about it for a second. This is one area where PSO takes it up a notch from other Online RPGs. When you first start out the game, you will get a nice dusting of the story, which is pretty good at that. Then as you keep playing later on in the game, you will notice that at times.... there almost isnt a story at all. Then once in awhile you may get another dusting of the story, and so on. You never really get too deeply involved in it though, like offline games. Understandable.

Graphics --- 8/10
PSO is for the most part, and upgraded port of the Dreamcast PSO. So almost right off the bat I expected this game to lack in the graphics area. Much to my suprise, it didnt. While the graphics are nothing like other games on the market (Metroid Prime anybody..?), the graphics do get the job done. The graphics on the characters is good. My only complaint about this part is when you are making your character, the graphics are a little lower it seems. The graphics on the environments is great! The first few forests look awesome. No problem here at all. The spells and attacks all look pretty good. Once you level up and get access to the higher spells, they look even better. Trust me, you will not be disappointed in this area of the game.

Sound --- 9/10
The sound in this game is nothing short of awesome! The music has a cool kind of ''futuristic'' theme to it, and it fits the game better then any other type would, I'm sure. The music changes when you go into different areas, like the hospital, or shops, or down on Ragol. All areas sound great. Then there is the attacking sounds, which also sound great. The saber sounds just like a lightsaber from Star Wars. The only reason I didnt give this area a 10/10 was mainly the fact that sometimes enemy sounds get annoying, and repetitive. Alot of the enemies sound alike, and they only make a few sounds each. Other then that, this area of the game is superb.

Control --- 9/10
The controls In my opinion are perfect. I like the fact that you can keep moving around while your menu is open. Since there is no pausing in this game, that is a must-have just in case your being attacked while equipping something. Attacking is easy, and fun. The default settings are; B to heal using monomate, A for basic attack, and X for powerful attack. Then if you hold in R, you can assign a whole new set of attacks or techniques to B,A, and X. The best part is you can customize this as much as you could imagine. So why didnt this section get a 10/10? The only reason is, It takes awhile to learn the controls. Longer then most games, but once you get it down, it's easy as pie.

Gameplay --- 10/10
Simply amazing. If I could give an 11/10, I would. If you get this game online, I guarantee you will not see your friends for a long time. This game grabs you right from the start. Even the offline play is superb, and addicting as ever. There is so much to do in this game, leveling up, customizing your mags, chatting with others, doing missions, getting rares, the list goes on. Seeing there is no keyboard for PSO, most would think that chatting using the Software Keyboard (like in animal crossing almost) would get annoying. Thats why sega made it a step easier, by adding shortcuts, and already written phrases and words. Trust me, you shouldnt have any problem chatting. (dont get me wrong, a keyboard still would be nice though). Trading with others online is alot of fun too. There is so much depth to this game's gameplay, it's just pure amazing. This is what sets PSO from the others.

Difficulty --- 7/10
Sometimes you feel like just throwing your controller at something. Right off the bat, the monsters can be quite tough, forcing you to die over and over. Nothing a little bit of leveling up cant fix. This is half of the fun of the game too, leveling up your player, to make him unstoppable. So dont worry, the game may be hard in places, but it's like that for a reason.

Overall --- 9/10
This is by far my favorite game on the cube as of present. There is just so much to do! You will be playing for hours on end, and never getting bored of it. This is my first time playing a Phantasy Star game, and I am simply amazed at what I have been missing out on.

Why you may like this game;
-- Very addicting gameplay
-- Tons of weapons
-- In-Depth character creation
-- Great online play
-- Nice soundtrack

Why you may NOT like this game;
-- $9 Online Fee
-- No GCN Keyboard
-- Lots of Online bugs (FSOD)
-- May be difficult for younger players
-- Story isn’t anything special

Results
Story 7/10
Graphics 8/10
Sound 9/10
Control 9/10
Gameplay 10/10
Difficulty 7/10
Overall 9/10

Rent or buy?? BUY, even if you cannot get online. The offline game is just as good, and addicting. If you can get online, what are you waiting for??!?!
O_o

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/03, Updated 01/05/03