Author Topic: The Phantasy Star Series (Read 2127 times)

Rman · « **on:** August 21, 2009, 02:43:18 PM »

I'm thinking of playing through the Phantasy Star series for the first time, starting with the SMS version of Phantasy Star and ending with Phantasy Star IV on the Genesis. I just wanted to get some advice.

Have most of these games aged well? I hear II and IV are genuinely excellent, but are the other installments still playable?

Are these games related in storyline, meaning do they need to be played chronologically? Is the story continuous?

Thanks.

demi · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:44:04 PM »

They all suck, except 4.

Himu · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:44:25 PM »

1, 2, and 4 are classics. Avoid the online games.

1 and 4 have aged the least. 1, because of its first person dungeons; and 4, because of its excellent graphics.

The games are not really connected.

Beezy · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:47:25 PM »

I played IV around the end of the N64/PS1's lifespan. It's still my favorite traditional 2D jrpg. I've never played the others.

Fuck Sega for going the online route with PS.

Rman · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:49:13 PM »

Why is III so bad? It always seems to be omitted when gamers talk about their favorite games in the series. I heard the online games were pretty addictive in their Dreamcast incarnations. Too bad Sonic Team hasn't pushed the online series at all. There seemed to be so much potential there.

demi · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:49:30 PM »

Cause it's garbage. lol. You'll know when you play it

Himu · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2009, 02:50:49 PM »

It's decent but not up to the standards of the rest of the series.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:05:35 PM »

III is/was a pretty game but all the dungeons looked the same, the plot lines were forgettable and meandering, and the neat idea of having 'generations based on who you chose to marry' was horribly executed. Not to mention the game is so unforgivably long that you'll likely never even finish the first time, much less go back and marry 'the other person.'

It's no Chrono Trigger.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:08:37 PM »

What everyone (other than demi, who is just pissed that there's no 'cheevs) is saying is pretty spot on: I is still a very good rpg, II and IV are superb and III is good/decent but suffers in comparison.

Best console rpg series ever, imo. What they did to it in turning it into a shitty Diablo clone is absolutely unforgivable.

demi · « **Reply #9 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:09:43 PM »

PS2 is on XBLA rufus. It's garbage. Dragon Quest is more playable than these are.

bork · « **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:11:58 PM »

Phantasy Star IV was the best in the series. The other games are probably going to feel too archaic to a newcomer.

Phantasy Star Online was awesome back then. I loved that game. No point in playing it solo though. Couldn't get into PSU.

Himu · « **Reply #11 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:13:00 PM »

Quote from: demi on August 21, 2009, 06:09:43 PM

PS2 is on XBLA rufus. It's garbage. Dragon Quest is more playable than these are.

I agree that DQ games have aged better than PS2 and especially 3.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #12 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:13:15 PM »

II isn't garbage but you need the hint book that came with the game to enjoy it nowadays. The dungeons were complex enough with the random fights (sooo many) throwing you out of exploration, doing it without maps is something I can't imagine would be any fun.

RPGs have come a long way but if you can enjoy Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 3/6, then there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy PS II.

PSO sucks, like CC said it's inexcusable that they sullied the Phantasy Star name for that garbage.

bork · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:42:50 PM »

Quote from: DJ_Tet on August 21, 2009, 06:13:15 PM

RPGs have come a long way but if you can enjoy Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 3/6, then there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy PS II.

Change that last part to "PS IV" and this statement works. PS II is much older than Chrono Trigger and FF3/6/3434324/whatever.

Quote

PSO sucks, like CC said it's inexcusable that they sullied the Phantasy Star name for that garbage.

Whatever. PSO was an awesome game. Who cares if it shares the same name?

Himu · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2009, 06:56:26 PM »

PS2 isn't much older than FF4 and FF4 still has aged better in terms of interface and graphics.

Not that PS2 is bad, cuz it ain't. But if you can stomach FF4 or DQ5 snes I think you swallow PS2.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #15 on:** August 21, 2009, 07:04:53 PM »

Quote from: the lyte edge on August 21, 2009, 06:42:50 PM

Change that last part to "PS IV" and this statement works. PS II is much older than Chrono Trigger and FF3/6/3434324/whatever.

Whatever. PSO was an awesome game. Who cares if it shares the same name?

Yeah I know it's 'much older' in terms that PS II was an early 16-bit release but like Himuro said FF2 wasn't that far behind it. The only reason (imo) that FF2/3 have aged better is the random battle frequency and the dungeons. Like I said, you need the maps to get the most out of PS2 dungeons. Graphically/aurally the game doesn't really suffer imo compared to FF3. Obviously FF3/4/Chrono Trigger/PSIV look better but it's not anything to not play the game over. One reason not to play the game is the random battles and if you don't have access to maps.

I'm just saying it's a hell of a lot better than PSIII.

PSO wasn't a fun game and had so little to do with the PS universe that it should have just had a unique name. Like 'mIRC in Space go play 4 levels Online.'

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #16 on:** August 21, 2009, 07:31:59 PM »

It's kinda insane to see how far ahead the SNES rpgs were of the crown-jewel Genesis ones.

bork · « **Reply #17 on:** August 21, 2009, 07:35:08 PM »

Sega was smart to use the Phantasy Star name with PSO; I'm sure doing that added to the game's sales.

Quote from: Kranz Fafka on August 21, 2009, 07:31:59 PM

It's kinda insane to see how far ahead the SNES rpgs were of the crown-jewel Genesis ones.

Is that SNES RPGs or Square RPGs?

Landstalker was a fucking amazing action-RPG. Climax rocked.

Himu · « **Reply #18 on:** August 21, 2009, 07:38:44 PM »

Square rpgs.

Then again, DQ6 looks almost on par with ff6/ct.

Error2k4 · « **Reply #19 on:** August 21, 2009, 08:39:13 PM »

Quote

Sega was smart to use the Phantasy Star name with PSO; I'm sure doing that added to the game's sales.

It made the brand relevant. Phantasy Star in Japan didn't sell for shit.

The only I really enjoyed was 4. 1 was decent, 2 and 3 were garbage IMO. 2 has some of the most annoying dungeons ever, so annoying that SoA felt the need to include maps with the game, and 3 is... Well one of the worst RPGs ever. I mean,

spoiler (click to show/hide)

The last boss is in a fucking treasure chest!

[close]

Decent franchise, nothing special. 4 is the only one that's really good, the rest are skippable if you ask me. I recommend playing PS1 before PS4, the story in PS4 has a lot of references to PS1.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #20 on:** August 21, 2009, 09:13:37 PM »

Quote from: the lyte edge on August 21, 2009, 06:42:50 PM

Whatever. PSO was an awesome game. Who cares if it shares the same name?

PSO was alright... if you didn't play Diablo or anything. What really cheese me off about it is that they took my favorite rpg series and EXCLUSIVELY turned it into a cruddy Diablo in space. I wouldn't have minded if PSO was a spin off and we still got PS rpgs, but that wasn't the case. So I will continue to hate on Sega.

Don Flamenco · « **Reply #21 on:** August 21, 2009, 10:24:08 PM »

Quote from: the lyte edge on August 21, 2009, 07:35:08 PM

Sega was smart to use the Phantasy Star name with PSO; I'm sure doing that added to the game's sales.

Quote from: Kranz Fafka on August 21, 2009, 07:31:59 PM
It's kinda insane to see how far ahead the SNES rpgs were of the crown-jewel Genesis ones.

Is that SNES RPGs or Square RPGs?

hmm.....

does Actraiser 1 count?

and PSO was fun for a few nights, but I can't stand the repetitiveness of the music and how long some of the scenes take. I see it as a "had to be there" game for Dreamcast online. I can imagine it being pretty awesome back in the day.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #22 on:** August 21, 2009, 11:01:19 PM »

I agree that Sega was very smart to use the PS name on Online, at the time. If they had made a good game to go along with it the PS name wouldn't be worthless now. As it stands it was a little short-sided. Sell out a whole strong brand to market a crappy Diablo chat clone.

I hope they come back to their roots one day but I'm not counting on it.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #23 on:** August 22, 2009, 01:30:47 AM »

Quote from: DJ_Tet on August 21, 2009, 11:01:19 PM

I hope they come back to their roots one day but I'm not counting on it.

That ship has sailed. Sega is essentially worthless these days. We got one last great rpg out of that team (SoA) and after that it's been craptacular all the way around for Sega. Wish that they would have done something good with Shining Force too.

The Fake Shemp · « **Reply #24 on:** August 22, 2009, 01:40:30 AM »

Skies was so great

Himu · « **Reply #25 on:** August 22, 2009, 02:07:59 AM »

Quote from: The Card Cheat on August 22, 2009, 01:30:47 AM

Quote from: DJ_Tet on August 21, 2009, 11:01:19 PM
I hope they come back to their roots one day but I'm not counting on it.

That ship has sailed. Sega is essentially worthless these days. We got one last great rpg out of that team (SoA) and after that it's been craptacular all the way around for Sega. Wish that they would have done something good with Shining Force too.

demi · « **Reply #26 on:** August 22, 2009, 02:42:36 AM »

garbage

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #27 on:** August 22, 2009, 04:25:58 AM »

himu, I'm sorry but I'm just not going to support a decision as dumb as only putting a game out on the PS3 for a 3rd party dev. There's no excuse!

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #28 on:** August 22, 2009, 04:29:57 AM »

Yeah I thought Valkerie Chronicles looked badass but I don't have a ps3 yet. Looked like a revolutionary-era Shining Force, did you like it Himuro?

Skies of Arcadia was indeed pretty damn sweet (I need to find the GC version at some point.) Of course it had something in common with the PS games, the wave after wave of invisible enemies. Heard the GC version was toned down in that regard.

Himu · « **Reply #29 on:** August 22, 2009, 09:05:28 AM »

Valkyria is the most innovative and fresh console strategy rpg this decade. Every thing else is pretty much a FFT or TO clone, with the occasional Fire Emblem release.

Himu · « **Reply #30 on:** August 22, 2009, 09:07:20 AM »

Quote from: The Card Cheat on August 22, 2009, 04:25:58 AM

himu, I'm sorry but I'm just not going to support a decision as dumb as only putting a game out on the PS3 for a 3rd party dev. There's no excuse!

Valkyria Chronicles 2

psp

tiesto · « **Reply #31 on:** August 22, 2009, 11:34:11 AM »

It's my favorite series of all time, apart from 3 (mediocre, but not horrible) and the online games.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #32 on:** August 22, 2009, 04:20:54 PM »

Quote from: Himuro on August 22, 2009, 09:05:28 AM

Valkyria is the most innovative and fresh console strategy rpg this decade. Every thing else is pretty much a FFT or TO clone, with the occasional Fire Emblem release.

Yeah I can't think of an SRPG that I've played this gen, which is strange as it's usually one of my favorite genres. To get my fix I've recently started playing Civ Rev. I'd love to check out Valkyria though, if/when I jump on the $300 PS3 that will likely be one of my first games.

Tiesto, really? Do you not like SRPGs? I much prefer the Shining Force series to Phantasy Star, even though I love PS as well. I think the SF series is more solid top-to-bottom, and SFIII is a true next-gen masterpiece. Shame we never got the full game, but I hear there are fan translations/isos out there now that I should check out.

In fact, no way would I recommend that someone play the Phantasy Star series over Shining Force. Rman, honestly you're better off playing Shining Force I - III, or even Final Fantasy 2, 3 and Chrono Trigger US if you haven't played those. The Phantasy Star games honestly haven't aged as well as either series imo.

originalz · « **Reply #33 on:** August 22, 2009, 09:10:59 PM »

You could probably sum up my high school years by just saying PSO. Such a fantastic game, but it was eventually ruined by hackers. I stopped playing when I was PKed and lost my rare legit weapon that took me so long to get.

I tried playing Blue Burst several years later but damn, the game really hasn't aged that well. I guess you really did have to be there to realize how magical the game was at the time.

Anyway, I would rank PS4 as one of the best RPGs of all time.

tiesto · « **Reply #34 on:** August 23, 2009, 02:18:46 AM »

Quote from: DJ_Tet on August 22, 2009, 04:20:54 PM

Quote from: Himuro on August 22, 2009, 09:05:28 AM
Valkyria is the most innovative and fresh console strategy rpg this decade. Every thing else is pretty much a FFT or TO clone, with the occasional Fire Emblem release.

Yeah I can't think of an SRPG that I've played this gen, which is strange as it's usually one of my favorite genres. To get my fix I've recently started playing Civ Rev. I'd love to check out Valkyria though, if/when I jump on the $300 PS3 that will likely be one of my first games.

Tiesto, really? Do you not like SRPGs? I much prefer the Shining Force series to Phantasy Star, even though I love PS as well. I think the SF series is more solid top-to-bottom, and SFIII is a true next-gen masterpiece. Shame we never got the full game, but I hear there are fan translations/isos out there now that I should check out.

In fact, no way would I recommend that someone play the Phantasy Star series over Shining Force. Rman, honestly you're better off playing Shining Force I - III, or even Final Fantasy 2, 3 and Chrono Trigger US if you haven't played those. The Phantasy Star games honestly haven't aged as well as either series imo.

I like SRPGs but definitely prefer traditional RPGs... love the Shining Force games as well (at least, the SRPG versions, not the ARPG spinoffs)... never got a chance to play 3 tho

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #35 on:** August 23, 2009, 02:32:05 AM »

PS2 was my favorite, but just play 4 instead.

The Sceneman · « **Reply #36 on:** August 23, 2009, 03:51:31 AM »

Im about halfway through PS2, its OK but pretty dated. I downloaded a PDF of the original hint book lol. Its quite cool

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #37 on:** August 23, 2009, 04:46:32 AM »

PS4 is quite awesome, really. In a lot of ways the macro system is still unbelievably fresh and relevant.

Lucretius · « **Reply #38 on:** August 23, 2009, 09:05:10 AM »

I'd recommend playing I, II, and IV if you can deal with how dated I and II are. Otherwise, just read the wikipedia plot summaries of I and II and then just play IV. I don't think I've played PSI since the original Master System days. I picked up II a couple years ago though. II is seriously unforgiving. You spend the first couple hours grinding within three steps outside the first town before you can survive wandering any further. The stories of I and II are still great though and definitely worth experiencing. II is still one of the darker tales in all of gaming.
IV is a masterpiece. I love the way cut scenes unfold with the comic book action panel style.

Himu · « **Reply #39 on:** August 24, 2009, 03:38:04 PM »

Quote from: DJ_Tet on August 22, 2009, 04:20:54 PM

Quote from: Himuro on August 22, 2009, 09:05:28 AM
Valkyria is the most innovative and fresh console strategy rpg this decade. Every thing else is pretty much a FFT or TO clone, with the occasional Fire Emblem release.

Yeah I can't think of an SRPG that I've played this gen, which is strange as it's usually one of my favorite genres. To get my fix I've recently started playing Civ Rev. I'd love to check out Valkyria though, if/when I jump on the $300 PS3 that will likely be one of my first games.

Even the ones last gen like Disgaea were essentially clones of TO/FFT but with different twists. But Valkyria...is on another level. It's just something completely different on the console front.

To get my strategy game desires I'm turning to pc gaming. Like yesterday I just randomly booted up Civ 4 and got absorbed for an hour. Nothing more involving than a good strategy game, imo.

demi · « **Reply #40 on:** August 24, 2009, 05:26:36 PM »

for the time

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #41 on:** August 24, 2009, 06:37:38 PM »

I enjoyed the original. It's not as challenging as II or all around as awesome as IV, but I highly enjoyed it.

DJ_Tet · « **Reply #42 on:** August 25, 2009, 01:21:29 AM »

Yeah I loved the original. I played it on my Power Base Converter (Genesis converter to play Master System games.) I used to laugh in Toys R Us when buying NES games at how Sega had this $100 game, but the more I saw it the more intrigued I was. By the time I got my Genesis I had to have PS. I still remember making maps on grid paper and everything for that game. It was probably my first true RPG love.

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Author Topic: The Phantasy Star Series (Read 2127 times)