Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II

"The True Version of PSO"

~The Review~
Online Phantasy Star Online has been a basis of the console online comunity for quite a few years. The first phantasy star title was first found on Sega's Master System, and then was produced on the Genesis, Game Gear, and eventually the GBA, as a collection of the first 3. The first Online title was first released back in 2001, on the Dreamcast. Since then, the newer versions have had a monthy fee to pay, which brings us to the Xbox version.

In terms differences, PSO: Episodes I & II, is both two games in one, and a port of the older PSO, along with a totally new game. Even though the GCn version allows you to play offline, you can only play offline once you registered a Xbox live account on your Xbox, meaning that it is impossible to play either way without Xbox live. The Xbox version also has voice support, meaning that you can talk to the other players, which add's quite a bit of depth to the game.

The game itself is interesting, but the question is, how does it stack up to the GCN version?

~The Graphics~
The graphics themselves is a small step up from both the Dreamcast and GCN version. The graphics seem to be a bit smoother, and at the same time, a bit brighter. The water is also a bit more realistic than the Dreamcast version.

Unfortunatly, the character models and items look like they were simply ported from the Dreamcast version. None of them look any better, and in fact, look worse than they did before. Total score is a 8/10

~The Sound and Music~
A rather interesting area. The music itself, is extremely good. Some of the best tracks are the boss themes, but that is about it. The rest is average.

In terms of Voice speaking and such, it realy adds depth to it. The voice recognition is somewhat flawed, though. It sometimes repeats what another user said in a lower tone and at the same time, you cannot hear yourself speak, meaning that you have no way to know if they got your message or not. Otherwise, it is one of the best traits of the game. Total Score is 9/10

~The Differences~
Even though the differences are minor, they greatly effect which version to buy.

Xbox Version:
-Voice Recognition for online play
-Requires Xbox live in order to play offline (Broadband only)
-Requires a monthly fee of $8.95 US
-No hidden NiGHTS game or downloadable chao
-All additions that Version 2.0 of the dreamcast version had
-Total: $100 (40 for game, 50 for Xbox Live, 10/Monthly for online play)

Gamecube Version Version:
-No Voice Recognition for online play
-Requires a Online Adapter to play (Broadband or Modem)
-Requires a monthly fee of $8.95 US
-Hidden NiGHTS game and downloadable chao
-All additions that Version 2.0 of the dreamcast version had
-Total: $90 (40 for game, 40 for Online Adapter, 10/Monthly for online play)

So pretty much, the better one for your buck depends on what you want. If you want offline play, get the GCN version. If you want online and offline, get the Xbox version.

~Final~
Either way, the game is well worth your buck. The Xbox version has more than the GCN version and more personality. Final score is 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/03