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

"PSO Ep. III: C.A.R.D. Perfection? Indeed it is."

As I begin my third review here on GameFAQs, I realize just how much I would've missed out on if I had taken the route many surely have and overlooked this wonderful game. Near perfection, except for a few minor text errors in my copy, but the real question: Does the change from Ep. I & II to Ep. III enhance or detract from the experience? I'm here to tell you, once and for all, it only adds to the uniqueness of Sonic Team's very important (final?) 3rd online installment to the Phantasy Star series.

Now onto the actual review.

C.A.R.D. Quality: 10/10

A unique game like this requires a special category for just the ''cards''. The artwork is amazing, and the weapons, enemies, items etc. are mostly still intact from the other installments. Instead of using them directly (like Ep. I & II), you must pay attention to the text description included with the cards in order to know how they are used. This adds a lot of strategy to the game, and enhances the gameplay.

Gameplay/Controls: 9.8/10

Before a battle you set up a deck of cards, then select a character (although some battles require a specific one/two), and choose a mission. Missions vary from rescues to homework assignments, attacks, etc. The difficulty seems a bit strong at times, and weak at others, but overall it's balanced pretty well. This score loses part of a point, due to the fact that there are certain parts of the gameplay (i.e. unfair advantages for some bosses, making it seem impossible at first) that don't seem as well thought out as others. The controls are simple, but simple is good, especially when, at times, you've got a limit to how long you have to make a selection.

Sound/Music: 10/10 (Can I give it an 11???)

Simply put: Beautiful, Unique, Wonderful. The sound effects are well done, just like Ep. I & II, but the soundtrack has changed. The music varies plenty for my tastes, and instead of being bored by hearing songs multiple times, I want to hear them more and more. This is definitely one of the strongest points of the game in my opinion. Also, voice clips were added during battle to 'announce' the stages you go through.

Graphics: 10/10

Some people will see that score and complain how the graphics aren't perfect, and no, they're not, but then again, PSO Ep. III (like Ep. I & II before it) has a unique ''style'' to the graphics. The character models, as well as the battle fields and environments have been smoothed out further and enhanced in my opinion. I will include cutscenes here. The 'manga' style cutscenes really enhance the graphics further than simple ''CG'' and ''FMV'' would do like in other games. Some animation (as well as text for the story) was added to the panels though, so don't worry about it being boring. You also get part of the story through each of these, so I'll discuss that next.

Story: 10/10

Instead of a single character (You, the player) being the ''main'' character, you have 12 on each side, each with their own unique personality, most (if not all) appearing in the manga style cutscenes mentioned above, at their own time, of course. Separate storylines that are linked together by other characters, from both sides. Two storylines to follow through as well, the Heroside (Hunters) and Darkside (Arkz). Which side is better? I'll let you decide, but for now I am leaning more towards the Heroside, although it may change over time, as I plan to play much, much longer even though I've beat it.

Presentation: 10/10

I would take off points, but let me first explain why I won't. From the graphics to the story, the gameplay to the 'C.A.R.D.' technology, the characters to the menus... As a whole, this game is wonderful, and even with it's flaws, it still amazes me. Flaws I've encountered are minor: a couple typos that I noticed they missed during editing, but that could just be my copy. (Did anybody else notice the '2003' copyright even though it came out in March 2004?) SEGA and Sonic Team have done a wonderful job putting this game together, and it's new gameplay really adds to the presentation.

Replay Value/Fun Factor: 10.2/10 (+ 0.2 on this score!)

Online: Tournaments, Free Battle, View Battle, etc. Offline: Story Mode (Heroside & Darkside), Free Battle, Multiplayer, etc. And that's just getting started. To some, that may not seem like a lot of ''modes'', but it is to me. Online and Offline Card Levels (up to 999, shortened to CLv in-game) are separate, so that's twice as much building up you can do, and with well over 400 cards, it'll take quite awhile to finally build up a complete deck. I had a lot of fun playing the game (both sides), and I really don't think people should pass this up, especially if they dismiss it as ''just another card game''. It's so much more, and all of the unique and special qualities add to it. If you can, buy it, if you're not sure, go ahead and rent it, because it's not for everyone if I'm to be truthful. Should everyone still try it? Yes, because I've never had so much fun playing a ''card game'', and the only reason not to buy this game over the others is if you don't have a GameCube. Go out, buy a GameCube, THEN get the game, because you won't be disappointed.

OVERALL SCORE: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/28/04