Phantasy Star Collection

""Zzzzzzzz..." -said the modern day gamer."

I never played the old Phantasy Stars on the Sega Master System or Genesis, so I have no retro view of this game, I can only see it and compare it to the things we have available to us in this day and age, so if you have strong sentiments about this game, you may want to leave, 'cuz this might get ugly... here we go!

Graphics: 6/10

Actually, the graphics really suck... unless you like having to squint to try and make out the little sprites that the game calls your characters as you embark on a quest through flat green fields that have pointy little gray spikes sticking out that the game calls your world map and cities... so why a 6/10? I'll be honest... the anime girls included are DANG hot! It gives you hope getting to walk into buildings and talk to their little picture frames and makes you forget the waste of money this game was... I couldn't let those fine women down with the 3/10 this category really deserved...

Sound 2/10

The sound in this game is nothing short of outdated. It's dull and repetitive. Think of Pokemon music... then knock down the quality and catchiness about seventy percent... now you're thinking Phantasy Star. My bets defense? Those so-called bell noises featured at the beginning of Phantasy Star 3... if you havn't heard them, start running now and don't look back. If you have heard them, I'm so sorry I couldn't reach you sooner, have a cookie!

GAMEPLAY: 5/10

This is a typical RPG... and I happen to love RPG combat. So why a 5/10? This game somehow takes a wonderful thing and makes it a chore... a very boring chore. So, sorry you so-called ''old-school'' gamers, but this isn't fun... the battle menus include two choices: Fight or Plan. ''Fight'' makes your characters break into random fits of violence against your enemies... you can't chose WHO they attack or HOW they attack... you can't tell them to heal or anything. PLAN let's you decide these things, but since it's the second option, you will often find yourself accidentally just hitting ''FIGHT'' thus leading yourself to the ''Game Over'' screen. Not to mention, these battles happen too often and don't give you enough Experience or Gold to make it worth your while, you will get sick of the battles faster than my Aunt Grettle can fall asleep. Another point worth mentioning is that all the items and magic attacks have no definition with them... so you'll either have to look up any item you want to buy to find out what they do, or guess. This gets very old... especially with names like ''Dyomite'' any ''Tyomite''. This game's saving grace is in Phantasy Star 1. I happened to really enjoy the first person dungeons... in the game, you walk through the dungeons like you would in Doom I liked this and was thoroughly disappointed when this feature wasn't included in the other two games featured. One last note: on the world map, ect... you move reeeeeally slow, and there is no run option... you practically crawl through the game, and the developers forgot to always tell you what to do next... without any definite guide, you often get lost and have to backtrack and talk to the same people over and over again... some people will like the exploration, I did not.

PLOT: 7/10

Not bad, not great... in the first game, your a female protagonist who must rid the world of evil to avenge your brother. In the second (my favourite) you're an officer in an army who must travel with your mutant friend to... uh, rid the world of evil (this adventure is based in the distant future, so you'll be treated to technology and bio-monsters more than beasts and dragons). And the third game (which i thought was the worst of three) you play through three generations and indulge yourself in one of many different endings... sound cool? It really wasn't... you'll have to FORCE yourself to play through to the end of Phantasy Star 3: Generations of Evil, but in the end, it ain't worth it. As for the other two, if you go in and expect a bad plot, you'll be pleasantly surprised, but if you go in expecting a GREAT plot... you'll be sadly disappointed. Either way, I enjoyed the plot once I got into it.

OVERALL: 5/10

This was an average game... not great, but not too, TOO bad. this really is a shame, because I was expecting so much from these titles, but ended up bored and forcing myself to finish them. Ah, well... One thing I should mention is that this game DID get some high reviews... I'm not sure why, but that says something: Some poeple WILL love these games. I dind't, but you might! So...

BUY or RENT?: RENT

...you should rent it to see if you're like me and found it too outdated to fit in with todays modern RPG's, or if you're like all the other reviews I've read who found it to be a long-awaited, re-awakened master-piece... Though I can honestly say I'd suggest Golden Sun or Breath of Fire series, you shouldn't just overlook this old school package.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/02, Updated 12/20/02