Phantasy Star Online Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

"Underrated Game. Extremely Fun."

Phantasy Star Online - Episode III: C.A.R.D. Revolution

Phantasy Star Online (PSO) has been a great title that I have enjoyed ever since its early Dreamcast days. The whole hack and slash concept of the first two episodes might seem simple at first, but gets VERY addictive after time. You would form a team, go out and play a game with fellow Player Characters around the world, and basically have fun. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast would later die out due to horrible sales, and upcoming competition with the PS2. Though this did happen, PSO would live on through remakes on the Gamecube and Xbox later. Both contained the same game concept from the Dreamcast (plus Episode 2), with minor updates. The hack and slash was to be considered a staple for the series.

So when Sonic Team announced that PSO: Episode III was in development, many were expecting the same game that made Episode I and II so fun. Little did they know, Sega was merely making a change, a MAJOR change to the game play. This change was from the Action/RPG element, to a Strategy Card Game. Would this be a good or horrible way to end the series?

Read on to find out. All the pros and cons are going to be listed to help influence your decision as much as possible.

Graphics and Sound - 7/10
Pros
The graphics for PSOIII are generally the same as they were in PSOI&II. Updates are made, though, to make it look sharper, and cleaner. Some of the stage arenas look very beautiful. Even if this is so, the graphics won’t generally matter much during game, because you’ll be focused on other things. As for the art of the cards and manga storyboards, they are just amazing. I was well pleased with both of these elements in the game. Everything was nicely drawn.

As for the Sound, its basically the same theme as it was in previous games. A number of orchestral music along with some techno beats. The battle music really does fit the background. A nice plus was the addition of a jukebox in the lobby. It plays a variety of songs including some hits from other games (including two favorites Jet Set Radio and Sonic). The songs present a nice feeling while battling in arenas. I enjoyed them highly.

Cons
The graphics for the characters aren’t all that special really (the backgrounds still look nice). They’re more or less average. It actually started to remind me of the old Dreamcast days, which isn’t a good thing in this case. I really all looks the same from Episode I & II. If only faces could have a bit more detail, or variety…

The songs get really annoying after awhile. The reason to this is because after a number of battles, you just hear that same song, over and over. The music is nice, yes, but listening to them a lot does tend to get on your nerves. You’ll probably find yourself lowering the volume on your TV and turning up the radio or CD player as your background music.

Story - 8/10
Pros
Amazing. Episode III fixes what I&II lacked: a full fleshed out storyline, and character development as well. The game is probably worth itself even if you’re just going to play offline just because of this. To top it all off, the story is told through the use of beautifully drawn, and well design manga (comic) boards. I highly enjoyed the storyline, and the dozen characters that come along with it.

Cons
Possibly one of the only negatives to the storyline is the way it progresses. Often times, the only way to actually view the manga boards is through side missions that only become available for a short time. Because of this, it’s possible for one to actually miss out on the story, and more importantly, the character development in this game. If you really want to view everything, then it’s suggested that you get the Prima Strategy Guide (but not needed). It tells you exactly every mission in the game, which is good to make sure you experience the entire story. The guide also lists out every card in the game (which is a LOT). Allowing you to plan ahead, and make deck list of future ideas once you get the cards.

When I purchased it, I was already half way through Hero Story mode. And after backtracking to see if I missed anything, I noticed I did miss out on some of the cut scenes. Thank god you can replay the stories after you beat them, just incase you missed out or want more cards offline.

Game play - 8/10
Probably the most important factor of this game that plagues everyone. Most people worried about how the game would play out. PSOIII has left the roots that PSOI&II have placed, and goes for a completely new style of play. And if the title doesn’t make it obvious, then you should know it’s a card battle game. It’s hard to accept this at first, but if you actually take the time to learn the rules, and play a couple of games, it’s easy to get addict to.

Be fair warned though, The game play is too slow at times, with matches lasting up to 30 or 45 minutes at times. It also should be noted that the game does leave all the RPG elements, and is strictly all strategy. It might be simple at first, but it has a certain amount of depth to it. Combos, loads of different deck types, and nearly 500 cards to work around with. It will take a lot of thinking trying to make decks that can win you tournaments and matches, but once you see yourself beating someone higher rank then you, or winning a tournament, the prize is very rewarding.

Replay Value - 9/10
One should take note that, if you want to get better at EpIII or attempt to collect every card, then you’ll defiantly need to replay this game. And with multiple quest coming out and automatically generated tournaments, PSOIII is a game that you’ll be playing a lot of to get the full experience and enjoyment.

Final Score - 8/10
Pros:
-Addictive game play
-Full Story Mode
-Fitting Music

Cons:
-Game play can be slow at times
-Able to miss some cut scenes
-May get repetitive at times

Most PSO fans are not willing to give this game a shot. I can say I was one of those people until I actually picked up the game. Not only was I surprised that the game turned out the way it did, but I was finding myself to have more fun at times then I did with the two prior episodes. If you are willing to give this game a chance, and actually take the time to play it, then the overall package will be a fun, rewarding, and an exciting experience.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/04