Phantom Dust

"The greatest $20 I have spent in some time!"

Phantom Dust.... a hot new title recently released and to top it all off, it's only twenty bucks... couldn't get any better than that, right? WRONG. It's even BETTER!!! Here is why-

Control (9/10)-
So far, very easy to use and the learning curve for the controls was quite short, as it only took me about four missions in the one-player mode to get used to the layout. The only thing I found a bit irritating is that you must press R-stick to jump, but other than that, it's pretty well thought out.

Story (9/10)-
Quite unique for a post-apocalyptic style genre. A strange dust drove humans underground as it drains their memories away, except the one memory they all share (the mysterious Ruins), when they are exposed for extended periods of time, and topping it off, strange creatures began to show up as well. In exchange for lost memories, some humans developed powers, and these are called Espers, who can channel their will into energy. These people search the surface for short periods of time for answers to their lost memories and the fabled Ruins, and also to protect the underground colonies. One day, a group of Espers came across two men sleeping in pods, one being the protagonist, the other, with a strange locket that could hold valuable information. Now the protagonist begins his job as an Esper...

Gameplay (10/10)-
Now this where I think the game TRUELY shines. Majesco really did a great job of combining an action game with strategy. Kinda like a CCG, you can purchase "booster packs" of skills and create Arsenals of up to 30 skills to use, which act as a "deck" where you draw upon random skills. To add on, there is over 300 skills to collect, NOT counting the ones you get on Xbox Live. This makes for almost unlimited possibilities for customization for you character and gives a lot of freedom to play the way you like.

Replayability (9/10)-
Awesome. You can replay ANY mission done in the game in one player mode AND you can get the rewards from those missions as if you completed them the first time. Splitscreen versus mode is also nice since you can apply your customized lists to the battles. Multiplayer over LAN or Ethernet connections is just as customizable, and the addition of downloading new stuff makes for more fun!

Overall (9/10)-
Truely... TRUELY an awesome game and for $20, it's the best deal out there in my opinion for a new title.

Rent or Buy?
BUY IT!!! BUY IT, BUY IT, BUY IT!!! For a simple twenty dollars, you can have one of THE most awesome games out there now. IF you have a low budget, this is a game for you. I don't really think it could be rented due to the high demand in certain areas, but I say just simply buy it. You WON'T be dissappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/05