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Reviews - Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II
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| Game Info. |
Genre
Simulation (MMORPG) |
Publisher/Developer
Sega/Sonic Team |
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Peripherals
Modem/Broadband Adapter |
Release
9/12/02 |
Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & II
Reviewed by Nick - July 16, 2003
Gameplay
Ah, well, the gameplay. The main focus of this game is the online play capabilities; you can hook up with people from other cities (not to mention other countries) and explore the world of Ragol along with them. In the online mode, there are extra features such as the “lobby” where you can chat with other players and such. You can even play a minigame with a big beach ball type dealy. One really cool thing (well, kinda) is the translator. If you talk to someone from Japan, your text will be automatically translated into Japanese for him or her to read, and vice versa. Also, there is the universal time; there are 1000 beats (the time measurement) in 24 hours, so if you want to meet up with people from other areas, you can just decide to meet up, say, at 345 beats at the lobby. Although the whole aspect of playing online is very interesting and fun, at $8.99 a month, it is insanely expensive to upkeep.
The offline mode is basically the same as the online mode, but if you want to link up with three other people in some split-screen action, you can.
Since PSO is online, there is no pause, which can be irritating if you’ve got to go to the bathroom or something like that. You have to go to a safe place so the monsters won’t get you. I can understand why there is no pause in online mode (so the other players don’t have to wait around for you to get back), but I do not understand why there isn’t a pause in offline mode.
The create-a-character is probably one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game, and they added a few new character classes to the GCN version that they didn’t have on Dreamcast.
9/10
Control
The control in this game is something you have to get used to. Like I said before, there is no pause, so when you access the menus, the game itself is still running and you can move your character with the control stick, but you have to navigate the menus with the C-Stick or the control pad. Luckily they made a shortcut feature to access registered items and such, so it’s not as painstakingly annoying.
Targeting with long-range weapons and spells can be hard. There is no manual targeting; it is all automatic, so you will have trouble hitting something. For instance, I sometimes hit a box with my lightning spell instead of an enemy, and I usually just let it go but it can become frustrating.
Walking and running is hard. They don’t make use of the analog control stick, so when you go full throttle on the stick, you walk . . . then you run. You also can’t run when targeting an enemy, so if you want to run away, you need to press start and blaze by ‘em.
They could have put more thought into the controls.
7/10
Graphics
PSO was originally for Dreamcast, so the graphics are pretty good. They could have updated them for GCN, but oh well, no big deal. The terrain looks nice and so do the characters and monsters, but the popup is awful. You walk into an are and you think you’re in a meadow, but if you take a few more steps, you find out you’re really in a thick forest. I’m not disappointed by the graphics, I’m just saying they maybe could have made them a bit better (especially those popups! Grrr!).
8/10
Sound
Not much to say about sound here except for the fact that the music is utterly unbearable. I hated it so much that I turned the music off and just kept the sound effects. The photon blades sound cool when you swing your weapons though.
7/10
Replay Value
When I first got this game, it was all I played. Then I played it with some friends and had even more fun. Woowee! You will find yourself coming back to this game after a long time and saying “why did I ever stop?”
After a while this game does get very repetitive and a little boring. You will constantly be going back to old levels and fighting the same old guys over and over, but there is something about the game that makes you want to keep playing. I think it’s all the cool weapons . . . mmm . . . Durandal . . .
8/10
Overall
I’ve played a lot of PSO and I must say that it is a great game. Many things about it could have been fixed or changed, but that never stopped me from suiting up once again and going to find what happened to Red Ring Rico. Oh well. Much of this game is very intense and it’s even better with more people fighting alongside you, but the repetitive nature and the repetitive nature make it a little rough.
Will I ever give up on the line of PSO games? No. Will I think twice about buying PSO Episode III? Yes. I sure hope it’s better.
FINAL SCORE: 8/10
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