Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II

"An insane RPG, both time-consuming and fun to play..."

Phantasy Star Online: Episodes 1 and 2 is an MMORPG (Massive-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) created by Sonic Team and is one of the few, if not only, online games that Gamecube has. At the same time, it is one of the best. But be warned, this game is nothing like your common RPG styles like Tales of Symphonia or Pokemon XD: Gales of Darkness so you may or may not like this game. Hmm, a game that can played be online on a console. That is something that makes the game interesting.

Story - 9/10
In episode 1, basically, you are a hunter on board a ship known as Pioneer 2. You arrived on the planet, Ragol, to start a new life. As said by your other ship, Pioneer 1, the place is suitable. But all of a sudden, there was an explosion, and all contact with Pioneer 1 is lost. You, as a hunter, must investigate Ragol to see what happened, while at the same time, finding out what happened to a legendary Hunter who happened to be on Pioneer 1. Episode 2 extends on this, except this time, it will be through another respected person who was on Pioneer 1's point of view.

This game literally has no FMV cutscenes (maybe except for the opening video if you count that as one). So in order to understand the story, you get to interact with NPC's (non-player characters) through conversations, as well as left-behinded messages in terminals and capsules. It is really complex and it is also set in the future, something far different than the usual RPGs which are usually set in the past. That is what makes the story far more interesting.

Gameplay - 10/10
Oh wow, where do I start? The gameplay is insanely astounding. And that is not an exaggeration either. While it is not the best RPG ever, it is still one of the best RPG games there are available.

As the name implies, the game is called Phantasy Star Online, but that doesn't mean you are forced to play online. There is also an alternative offline mode for those not able to get online. I'll review both of them separately.

Offline Mode
For those who aren't able to get online, offline mode is actually pretty entertaining in its own way. When you start the game, you get to make your first character (and later on, more for a maximum of 4 characters per memory card file). The game divides them into classes: Hunters, Rangers, and Forces. Hunters are basically your sword people, Rangers are your gun people, and Forces are your mages. Each class has 4 characters that you can choose from, giving you a total of 12 choices. Each class has their advantages and disadvantages so you should be choosing one that fits you for a long time. After you select one, you get to customize their appearance and give them a name. After all of that, then you are set on your adventure.

The game provides two episodes to play in, but it obviously makes more sense to play episode 1 first to understand the overall story. After clearing episode 1, then you can move on to episode 2. Regardless of episode, you better expect a bunch of RPG elements in the game. Phantasy Star Online houses a "city" on the ship, which is complete with a storage room, medical room, and shop. It also has a "Hunter's Guild" where you can undergo quests to help other people on Pioneer 2 out, as well as learn more about the story.

Phantasy Star Online utilizes a real-time battle system, allowing you to control your character freely. Upon arriving on planet Ragol, the real battle starts. You are given an action pallete to do specific actions, and you can customize it the way you see fit. As you go various locations, you find various monsters and you get to kill them with your weapon or techniques that you have (or what you call "magic" in other games). The system features an auto-lock target system, which can getting annoying sometimes if it locks onto the wrong monster you were trying to hit, but it is not a huge problem in the game. Leveling up is like your typical RPG, you get EXP from killing the monsters and there are stats which get boosted to improve your character. The monsters also drop stuff, including weapons, armor, shields, units, meseta (the currency for the money), and such. Phantasy Star Online is really a "hack-and-slash" RPG, and that is pretty much what you do in the entire game. As you progress and clear areas, you get newer areas with more different monsters and bosses. If that was not enough, they also threw in 4 difficulty levels for you to progress. And each difficulty level adds a difference to the game. There is also episode 2 which heightens the difficulty extremely, making episode 1 look like an easy episode to finish. These factors are what makes the game a lot longer to play.

The amount of weapons, armors, and shields in the game is incredible. There are literally thousands of them that you can customize and use for your class. Best of all, there are many types of them and they don't all work the same way. For example, for weapons, a Saber has a fast attack animation and has high damage output, but only strikes one monster, whereas a Sword would attack multiple monsters, but has a slower attack animation and lower damage output. There are so much types that it becomes one's preference on what they should use for their character. This is extended when some weapons are able to obtain special abilities and can be used when the special attack button is on your action pallete. Not only that, but the real value of this game comes when there are red boxes that start dropping and you see the letters "SPECIAL WEAPON" on it. These weapons are different from their common counterparts, since all of them are unique in a way. You won't know what it is when it drops until you bring it to the shop and show the tekker to tell you what it is. This is, by far, the best part about this game. It holds excitement, not knowing what may be the weapon until you "tekk" it from the tekker. Could it be a weapon that you can use throughout as part of your arsenal...or could it be a super rare item that is not normally get usually? The suspense of it is what makes the game far more enjoyable to play, as well as being very addictive, as literally there are a bunch of special weapons in the game that one can obtain, some rarer than others, some more powerful than others, and such.

In addition to single-player offline mode, the game also offers multiplayer mode. With multi-player, the game is played in split-screen, which is not so great unless you have a gigantic television set. However, despite the smaller screens, the game offers a lot in multiplayer, likewise adding some extra modes that can only be done through multiplayer only. In Normal mode, you get to explore Ragol with 1-3 other characters. In Challenge mode, you focus on teamwork by starting out with prerequisite items and clearing each stage in the quickest and safest way possible. In Battle mode, you get to fight through pre-setted rules and under time limits. The game offers a lot in multiplayer mode, but its downside is that it can't do much of anything like you can in single-player mode, such as doing quests or communicating with other NPC's. In ways, it will be repetitive if over done in Normal mode, and this will get boring eventually. Challenge mode is probably the only thing that will spark things up, as it is actually challenging in its own kind.

Beyond all of that, offline mode is certainly great. The only problem I actually see is repetition, and playing over and over the same stage can get boring. But the rare items you can get can actually save you from this boredom. There is also the goal to getting to Level 200, but you would probably get bored before then. Getting to Lv200 is no easy task, I'll say that much. Good luck to you if you want to try.


Online mode
The entire aspect of the game...online mode. Online mode offers entirely a lot more than offline mode, and really, online mode nearly makes the game fully addicting and 10 times more fun.

The aspect that you can communicate with other people around the world who has a Phantasy Star Online game and is online is what makes the game fun, as well as being an important basis for online. You get to meet a lot of other new people, and you get to game with them, or even to just chat around. The communication occurs mostly in the lobbies of Pioneer 2, although you can also chat in-game as well. The downside to communicating is that you will need a keyboard adapter as well as a keyboard in order to communicate effectively. Without one, you are stuck with the software visual keyboard provided in that game and that is just dead annoying when you have to move your control pad/C-stick around each time just to punch in letters to make words. Word select can shorten this process but word select is extremely limited and does not really make a conversation flow well. It is not necessary to get one, but it certainly is recommended.

You cannot play online through multiplayer means (i.e. 4 people cannot share a Gamecube in order to get online), only one person can get online per Gamecube. On the other hand, whereas in offline there is single player mode and multiplayer mode and each has specific things you can only do in a mode, online makes it more convenient by giving you everything offered in both modes offline. In other words, you get a screen all to yourself, you can do quests even if you have a team, you can do Challenge mode and Battle mode provided if you have someone to play with you, and among many other stuff. Online mode also provides additional content, which includes new additional quests, as well as items that can only be obtained online. When you look at it that way, online mode just makes offline mode look like a thing of the past. Once you start knowing other people and getting teams together, offline mode is probably something you will probably never, or rarely, go back to. Getting to go online does not come at a small price though, literally. You need an internet connection, a Broadband/Modem adapter for the Gamecube, and a keyboard if you want to communicate easier. I would say it is worth it, but it really depends on how you would feel. If you don't think it is worth it, offline mode is still good.

Graphics - 9/10
Being a port from the old Dreamcast version, episode 1 has graphics that may appear outdated. Episode 2 is the one where the graphics actually become very improved. Even if episode 1 looks old, it still looks just as great. Colors are used effectively, from a beautiful lush green forest to a red volcanic cave. The characters themselves are something, allowing you to customize many unique design features when you first make them, including their hair color (for non-androids), head type (for androids), face type, costume style, and among many other stuff. Each part is very specific and you can see the changes on how you want your character to look. The monsters themselves are all unique, containing detailed designs and providing a variety of them. Just amazing, they really focused a lot here.

Music/Sound - 9/10
Music in Phantasy Star Online is one that would not be considered impressive, but still enjoyable to listen to for many of them. They also tie to the certain area's theme very well. It is peaceful for the Forest Area while it sounds like creepy style for the Cave area. Episode 2 holds one of the finest soundtracks in the game, and many of my favorites come off of there. And if you happen to like them, there is a Sound test provided in game that you can listen off of. Sound, consequently, is something. You could hear the growls of the monsters, the punches thrown by them, and amongst many others. The weapons you use to hit them with, depending on the weapon, can vary out. It does not always have to be a “slash” sound. For example, if you hit them with a frying pan (yes, there exists a weapon in this game), you could hear clanks instead as you keep hitting and lands. It's impressive, and it makes the game more realistic in every way.

Replay Value - 10/10
Two words: insanely addicting. Regardless of online or offline mode, this game just proves to be one that can last anybody a long time. Once after the first “special weapon” drops, it just becomes insanely fun to go on “hunts” and look for other special weapons, one that may even be stronger than the one you just found. And if you are a perfectionist, you could always try striving to Lv200. There is also challenge mode/battle mode you can play around in multiplayer mode. Online mode there is a bunch more stuff you can do that offline mode cannot provide. Literally, there is so stuff in this game that one can do, it really becomes a game that you won't be able to put down. I know of many people who have clock over 1000 hours on a certain character, and some that may have even reach near 2000 for total game time. It really is just that addicting.

Overall - 10/10
Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 and 2 is just a blast to play overall. It has an awesome gameplay, consisting of online and offline mode, both which can last any one a long time. If you happen to have the money, try getting online. Otherwise, you can stick to offline and still have fun. Regardless, Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 and 2 should be a game that should be played be anybody, regardless if you are a fan of RPGs or not.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/06, Updated 01/03/08

Game Release: Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II (US, 10/29/02)