Phantasy Star II

"One of the best RPGs ever, most likely"

This was my second review, and I must say, even though I did not thoroughly play much of the game until the year 2001, I must say, the whole game is very impressive for being so old. I have been a Phanatic ever since I was hooked on Phantasy Stars 2, 3, and 4 via Sega Channel or whatever it was called. In fact, I got hooked so much, I bought PSIV for $70 and PSIII for $20. Never did get Phantasy Star II, but I did try it out in various places and have fond memories of it.

Story: 10/10 (35pts)
The storyline of this game is fantastic. I would personally say that the Phantasy Star series is the best RPG series ever created for any system. The whole idea of the series has, by far, the thickest plot I've ever seen. I haven't played PSO yet, but if it comes out for GameCube, that sucker's mine! Anyhow, back to PSII. When you start out, your character will dream about a cyborg-type, named Nei, being attacked and him unable to help her. You are required to get the recorder to the Bio-Systems lab and the whole quest opens up. Great storyline.

Control: 8/10 (16pts)
The gameplay was not bad at all. The game was very tricky at first, especially getting to know the menus without guides, etc...but all in all, the gameplay is very good. Probably the only thing I dislike about Phantasy Star II and Phantasy Star III is that the characters move so slowly. But other than that, everything is fine.

Graphics: 7/10 (8.8pts)
The graphics of PSII are not bad in the least bit. Yes, this is a 2004 review, but it's a review of an old game, and when you review an old game, it's only fair to give the game credit for its time. The towns and maybe the overworld could have used a little bit of work, but the monsters were extraordinary. The attacks were very well rendered too.

Sound: 8/10 (10pts)
Phantasy Star II includes some of the best music heard in a PS game. My personal favorite Phantasy Star II music being the battle theme...gotta love it. The overworld theme was kinda funky, but it still fit the atmosphere. I also kinda liked the music on Uzo Island. I don't remember there being even one annoying track. Great sound effects as well.

Challenge: 10/10 (10pts)
The challenge of this game is simply through the roof. I had to use a guide to get as far as I did, which wasn't TOO far, but still. When a game needs a guide or a map for the first level, you know it's hard as hell.

Dynamics: Exempt
Most games created as long ago as Phantasy Star II don't have a lot of extra stuff other than storyline, so I am exempting PSII from the dynamics rating.

Buy or Rent?
I'm pretty sure that you have a nil chance of being able to rent this game, as it is very old. But you can probably still find it somewhere in this world. If you got a chance though, definitely buy.

Final Rating: 79.8/90 (9)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/01, Updated 04/15/04