Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II

"Just when you thought this game couldn't get any better... it did."

First there was Phantasy Star Online. Then came PSO version 2. After that was PSO Episodes 1 and 2 for the Gamecube. And now, finally, the best version of PSO yet: PSO Episodes 1 and 2 for the Xbox.

First of all, I want to talk about the multiplayer mode. At first it may not look like much, but it is almost as good as online mode. It includes all the features of the online game; battle mode, challenge mode, and of course the tougher monsters. It also has several flaws, however. For one, the screen is waaay too small. It should have been split vertically, not horizontally. Two player is great, but four player is almost not worth it. My favorite part of offline multiplayer is that if somebody runs off with the rare that Vol Opt just dropped, you can punch him in the arm =)

The rares system has also been revamped. No longer does it take 200 hours to find your first rare and have it be a DB's Saber. Now within your first 30 hours you'll be finding such items as Varistas, Photon Drops, and more. Like the prequel, each Section ID finds a specific item the most so think carefully about what you want your character's name to be.

Episode Two is a completely new quest than Episode One. This time you are searching for Heathcliff Flowen, who recently had messages received by the lab from him, even though he was thought to be dead. After completing two VR missions (Temple, Spaceship), you are set out on your way. Included in episode two, but not limited to, are new mags, weapons, and character classes. The three new classes are the FOmar, a battle mage, the HUcaseal, a female battle android, and the RAmarl, a female tech-using ranger.

Ultimate mode is a tad easier now than it was back in the V.2 days. Ultimate is no longer impossible, which I'm sure will make many people happy. Now that level 56 RAcaseal that you had to get to level 120 in PSO DC before attempting Ultimate can stand a chance. The biggest tweak to Ultimate mode is that the enemies can now be struck and damaged with normal weapons, though it is still a bit hard.

Last but not least, there is online mode. Exactly the same as offline mode, except with more people. Online mode is what makes this game so great. Something about hacking through Boomas with somebody half-way across the world makes this game VERY addicting online. If you don't want to lose hours of sleep playing this game, I suggest you don't go online.

Unlike the other versions of PSO, sadly this one does not allow you to play with people from other countries. The voice chat, however, keeps the 9/10 score that I gave to the GCN version. Offline mode is still a bit stale but since you must have XBL to even play this game offline, it won't be much of a problem.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/03, Updated 06/04/03