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

"Third PSO installment as bad as everyone thinks?"

PSO Ep. 3 is a decent game, not bad, but not supreme. Terribly underrated, especially by PSO Ep. 1 and 2 players who would prefer a good old hack-n-slash RPG. Though it may not be as good gameplay wise as its hack-n-slash brother, this card game excels in its story. The cutscenes are beautiful and have a comic book/anime style, while the battlefields have the same graphics as 1 and 2. The music is amazing, especially in the opening.

Not all of the changes are good, though. The gameplay of PSO 3 focuses more on strategic turn-based card battles, unlike PSO 1 and 2. While PSO 1 and 2 had plenty of exploration in huge outrageously designed 3D environments, PSO 3 is purely card battling. There are variations in field size and style, but that is about the most exploration you're gonna be doing, that and wandering arund the much more confusing ship where you recieve your missions. The ship takes more getting used to than the fighting style. The Pioneer 2 of Ep. 1 and 2 is like walking around your house, while the Morgue/R-Base is like navigating a cave with a wet match, and so will eat up your first half hour of play. It takes away the fun and excitement of exploration that you may expect from the PSO series. At first, you may feel cheated out, and that the gameplay is terrible and very slow, but as you get into it, it gets very interesting as the story unfolds, and eventually, you get used to the strange card concept and the even stranger ship design. The boss battles, though there are not that many, are awesome, and VERY difficult compared to PSO 1 and 2's bosses.

PSO 1 and 2 had plenty of replay value, I myself got it more than a year ago and still play it today very often. Though PSO 3 does keep you hooked for a while, there is no motivation to play it over and over again like you could PSO 1 and 2. There are two storys you can choose from, Hero or Arkz, or more simply Good and Bad, but it doesn't really make you feel like you HAVE TO play both or you'll never be satisfied.

There is no quick way to level up in PSO 3. At most, you gain 50 experience points in a battle, and that's from a boss. It takes 100 experience points to get to each level, which is very tedious. You do not get any stronger when you level up, it only increases your chances of finding new cards in booster packs, so it too takes away from the replay value. It doesn't motivate you to actually WANT to spend a lot of time leveling up.

The rating system is practically impossible. It is a letter system, and it decides how many cards you get in a pack. S Rank, the best rating, is almost impossible to get. The system is based on many things, including how much you were hit and how much you hit your opponent. E Rank, the worst, is what you'll be getting for many of your first battles. It lands you 4 or 5 cards, while an S Rank lands you from 8-10, I don't know since I have yet to get one. This makes getting cards and building decks very hard, another setback for his game.

All in all, I say you rent this game and give it a test drive before you buy it, and don't judge a book, or a game in this case, by its review.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/04