I went back to PS2, and there it was. My near-finished save file. Sadly, I didn't finish it back then - I had to do so much grinding for the end bosses that I did that bullshit thing where I declared victory despite not achieving it. Later in life my brother and I went on a tear to gather some retro games, specifically targeting the Genesis, and PS2 was had and I was able to put that shame to rest.
.
Amusingly, I had to grind more in IV (I had to grind for Lassic, and Dark Force). I don't think I had to grind for Zio, actually, but I did get a game over to him the first time.
In II, I had to grind all of one level at the end, so I'd have Megid for the final battles. But II is balanced around the assumption that you don't know what you are doing and wander around a bit, and take at least 2 trips to every dungeon: one to get a hang of it, and the second to plow through. If I had used maps from the internets, I would have had to grind, and I probably would have had a very negative opinion of the game, as the dungeons are all it has going for it, besides the cool battle theme. Yes, the plot twist in the middle and the surprise ending are cool, but those are only about 10 minutes total of a 30+ hour game.
I grinded through PS1 on the GBA collection over a period of a year. I've been trying to get through PS2 but I really dislike the dungeon design. I still like it but I have to play it in short bursts.
I loved PSO on both Dreamcast and Gamecube but didn't like anything afterwards. Hopefully PSO2 will resonate with me.
Or something. I played it back when it came out, I think I still have the cart around here somewhere.
I enjoyed it, though it did get tiring at points. I've played other 80s RPGs (I have the whole pack of SSI ones, for that matter), and its very playable in comparisson.
What I mean is: its a dungeon crawler. Using maps would be like using a guide to solve the puzzles in a puzzle game. What you are left with is auto pilot combat and 2 poorly translated story segments. That's why I completely understand anyone who didn't like the game.
Can I be the grumpy old guy who bitches about Sega killing this franchise with every entry following Phantasy Star 4? I mean seriously, I put Phantasy Star 3 above a lot of the shit going on with the series lately.
Oh thank god the OP is based on the real Phantasy Star's, not that Online rubbish. One day Sega are going to wake the hell up, realise they once actually had a series that could compete with FF, give Phantasy Star V to the Valkyria Chronicles team to develop and I will dance with joy.
NO NO THIS IS A VERY BAD IDEA. Don't you understand? Sega ran Valkyria Chronicles into the ground too. The first game was great, and then part 2 they just botched everything. Part 3 I haven't looked much into but it being on the PSP makes that impossible. So no, the problem is Sega as a whole.
VC3: Best battle system. Back to older characters with a heavier plot (penal unit of "criminals" who have been stripped of their names) and best story. No export for you.
Also, the Valkyria Chronicles team is the Skies of Arcadia team. They can very much do a singleplayer RPG Phantasy Star.
Some people are questioning how I can like PSO, say PSU never existed, yet say I enjoyed PS: P and wish the bf would just send me PS: P2 already (again, you can transfer costumes over, I think it also gives you a special rank or title or achievement... and I want to be able to play online, none of this wireless shit that was in PS: P.) I just felt that they took a few of what was alright from PSU, without it being PSU. It still felt close enough to PSO that I really enjoyed it.
What I did not enjoy: Playing a mage (really can't think of the proper terms right now). In PSO, there was nice targeting lock on, you cast your spells, it was simple and lovely. PS: P you run around, hope you're not lined up a bit crooked, cast spell, hope it hits them before they move. Gaining levels in the spell techs and the ranks as "mage" was a pain in the ass... until I decide to hell with that and worked on my Ranger.
Really though, if you don't have a PS3 to use AdHock mode, or a computer that accepts the fancy setup for it, and don't know anyone local to play with you, don't get PS: P, just stick with PS: P2 since they got smart and included proper wifi.
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You know, I'm struck by how many cool ideas Phantasy Star III has. The dynamic battle music is a great idea, but problem: the battle musics don't sound anything alike at all. The "hard" music has organs, while the "easy" is some sort of pop tune. It clashes horribly given that it can change from one directly into the other in an instant.
I haven't gotten far enough to see the generations gimmick, but the plot is presented in a very poor way, even compared to II. The main character is just wandering around randomly. Why does this asshole need a cyborg? Are cyborgs so common on this medieval world that he'd expect to get one? If so, why isn't there more technology? It feels like an RPG-maker game (and looks like one, too).
The combat UI is an eye sore and the graphics are worse than II. Some monsters are animated (poorly), but most are just static images. Lazy.
I booted up II expecting pain, but the game was so radically different than other RPGs I've played that I just had to get through it. Booting up III gives me Deja-vu. I think I've seen this game before. Also, its even more cryptic than II. I sometimes got lost as what next to do in that one, I looked up one or two things online in the entire game. In III, on the other hand, I don't think I will even attempt without a walkthrough.
On the other hand, despite what I've read, this is far from the worst RPG I've played. At least the minimalist storytelling means I don't have to read pages of horrible text. Just a few terribly mangled lines that seem very abrupt and silly.
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MaddocI'm Bobbin Threadbare, are you my mother?Registered Userregular
The generations thing is awesome, and unfortunately wasted on a bad game.
*snip* but the plot is presented in a very poor way *snip*. The main character is just wandering around randomly. *snip*
The combat UI is an eye sore and the graphics are worse than II. Some monsters are animated (poorly), but most are just static images. Lazy.
*snip* At least the minimalist storytelling means I don't have to read pages of horrible text. Just a few terribly mangled lines that seem very abrupt and silly.
these parts right here had my brain screaming Final Fantasy!!!!! for the NES :P thanks for that.
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I'm always happy when these threads pop up. Phantasy Star 1 was the very first video game that actually belonged to me (as opposed to my older brother). I had no idea what I was doing and it took me years to beat, but I loved it. Two of the possessions I've made sure to keep from move to move are my Master System Phantasy Star I and my Genesis Phantasy Star II. I credit those two games with making me into a lifelong gamer.
I apparently used the hell out of the PS II hint book the game came with because it's impressively beaten up. The one note I wrote in it as a child, under the pictures of the pink cloud enemies from the second or third dungeon (Blastor?): "RUN AWAY!!"
I need to get through IV at some point. I love the mid-80's to early 90's anime aesthetic, as well as the 'high technology on a barbaric and savage world' trope, and the game blends them pretty well from what I HAVE played through. The music is pretty good, and I like the macro system.
I went back to PS2, and there it was. My near-finished save file. Sadly, I didn't finish it back then - I had to do so much grinding for the end bosses that I did that bullshit thing where I declared victory despite not achieving it. Later in life my brother and I went on a tear to gather some retro games, specifically targeting the Genesis, and PS2 was had and I was able to put that shame to rest.
.
Amusingly, I had to grind more in IV (I had to grind for Lassic, and Dark Force). I don't think I had to grind for Zio, actually, but I did get a game over to him the first time.
In II, I had to grind all of one level at the end, so I'd have Megid for the final battles. But II is balanced around the assumption that you don't know what you are doing and wander around a bit, and take at least 2 trips to every dungeon: one to get a hang of it, and the second to plow through. If I had used maps from the internets, I would have had to grind, and I probably would have had a very negative opinion of the game, as the dungeons are all it has going for it, besides the cool battle theme. Yes, the plot twist in the middle and the surprise ending are cool, but those are only about 10 minutes total of a 30+ hour game.
I must've been super bad at the game then. PS2 I had to grind so much.
PS4, when I first beat it, I was in the upper 40's with my team. Then I would experiment with the levelling. I ran a team to 60 before beating the final boss, just to see how much a difference it would make. Then I beat the game somewhere in the high level 30's (couple people tapped into 40's).
Also I'll post those pictures of my PS2 strategy manual soon. I have to find it first, it's not where I had thought.
I liked PSO.....And I also liked PSU online. I think it gets a far worse wrap than it deserves. It was so much like PSO but with more character customization and more dungeons, that I dont understand why people hated it so much who loved PSO. I personally saw little difference between the two at their core.
That being said, i was still greatly disappointed in PSU because it had far too high of monthly fees, and secondly it did not improve enough on the graphics and gameplay to really hold my attention for a long time. But i enjoyed it for a month and a half or so.
I liked PSO.....And I also liked PSU online. I think it gets a far worse wrap than it deserves. It was so much like PSO but with more character customization and more dungeons, that I dont understand why people hated it so much who loved PSO. I personally saw little difference between the two at their core.
That being said, i was still greatly disappointed in PSU because it had far too high of monthly fees, and secondly it did not improve enough on the graphics and gameplay to really hold my attention for a long time. But i enjoyed it for a month and a half or so.
Reasons why PSU sucked: Far more cheap/annoying enemies/deaths. Weapon skills made actual melee worthless (And conversely you had to have several dozen weapons on hand to deal with using PP rapidly.) Techs were generally worthless until the Master Force inclusion. The way materials and boards worked. People want to pick up items, not boards that give you a very low chance of getting an item after you spend 30+ days raising a little robot to make an item. (Then being locked out of certain items because the bots stats werent high enough so you pretty much had to have friends to make them for you, buy them, or make a secondary one on a different character.) Really uneven stage rewards. (White demon all day erryday forever because it was the only one worth doing for xp.) The removal of MAGs when everyone fucking loved MAGs. (I have no idea why they did this.)
They added some pretty nice stuff later (Like actual item drops, better techs, the level cap advancement stuff) but by then the game was pretty much dead in the US.
I must've been super bad at the game then. PS2 I had to grind so much.
Well, maybe, but what I meant was: I didn't use a guide, so I was wandering around mazes (or just the world, which had no world map) fighting tons and tons and tons of enemies, so my levels were always high. The game was released in the US with a guide, so you probably had more of an idea where to go and didn't have as many fights. Incidentally, this means that if I replay the game at some point, I will have to grind. All the PS games auto pilot fairly well, though, so grinding isn't a chore. I'm defining grinding fairly strictly, of course, as walking in circles in the same place to farm random battles.
And yes, the Blasters, or whatever they were called, wiped me. It wasn't an automatic game over, like the 4x mage encounter in Final Fantasy, but it might as well have been, when I fought 2 of them. Running away basically never works in this game.
these parts right here had my brain screaming Final Fantasy!!!!! for the NES :P thanks for that.
The game feels more like Final Fantasy (back when it was fairly generic) than Phantasy Star II. That is to say, that even though the game lets you know early on that there's a sci-fi undercurrent, it feels like any dime a dozen 16bit fantasy RPG. Though the battles and enemy sprites don't. I don't even know what to think of the latter. "Bizarre" doesn't really begin to describe it.
I replay PS 1-4 every year, and I have been doing so since like 1997, which means I have played all four of them way more times than I care to count. I first played PS2 when my father obtained a copy in 1990, and I've been following the series ever since.
Has anyone on this forum played the Japan only Generations remakes? Watched some videos, and they look like a mixed bag. The character sprites look amazing, particularly for 1, but the music is awful. I don't see how they could have remixed it any worse.
Has anyone on this forum played the Japan only Generations remakes? Watched some videos, and they look like a mixed bag. The character sprites look amazing, particularly for 1, but the music is awful. I don't see how they could have remixed it any worse.
I have not as I don't read Japanese, but from what I understand they added a lot of stuff to both of them. For instance, in PS2, apparently your characters will have conversations with each other when they're just chilling out in your house in Paseo. It seems like a good idea in theory, but I'd need to see the execution.
We were supposed to get those remakes back in the day (a company named Renaissance Entertainment was working on it... yeah I've never heard of them either), but the project fell through.
Love the Phantasy Star RPGs. Phantasy Star Online was fun, but Universe turned it super-generic. I really want a new RPG. And Phantasy Star III was awesome. I love the multiple generations idea, and the aesthetic was interesting. The story got pretty cool later on too, when you find out the truth behind the different "worlds."
And Phantasy Star III was awesome. I love the multiple generations idea, and the aesthetic was interesting. The story got pretty cool later on too, when you find out the truth behind the different "worlds."
The thing is, the aesthetic at the beginning isn't interesting (I don't know if it gets moreso). Slapping the player down in the middle of a generic looking town is not a good way to get them interested. This is especially true 20 years later.
Its somewhat picking up now, I just recruited my 5th party member, and since I actually looked up the story to the game, it is somewhat interesting to me. Let me make that clear though: I only know what's going on because I read about it. Otherwise, as far as the player knows, for example, Lena is just some random girl. I haven't actually spoiled the game's later story, or anything, though, only the first generation.
I have not as I don't read Japanese, but from what I understand they added a lot of stuff to both of them.
Looks like the cutscenes got far more text (and images). This is really the only huge complaint I had about PS2. The big scenes had mangled text and were presented extremely poorly. I still got the general idea of what was happening, and it was very interesting, but it could have been done much better. Then again, late 80s games are notorious for Engrish and mangled text, so it could have been far worse.
Seriously man, a nice inexpensive remake of PS II and IV using PSO/U-style presentation would be a great way for Sega to draw more attention back to the series. Especially with PSO2 right around the corner. Give the official artwork and style some real justification, y'know? (Plus, Nei and Amy in HD 3D. Yum.)
And Phantasy Star III was awesome. I love the multiple generations idea, and the aesthetic was interesting. The story got pretty cool later on too, when you find out the truth behind the different "worlds."
The thing is, the aesthetic at the beginning isn't interesting (I don't know if it gets moreso). Slapping the player down in the middle of a generic looking town is not a good way to get them interested. This is especially true 20 years later.
Its somewhat picking up now, I just recruited my 5th party member, and since I actually looked up the story to the game, it is somewhat interesting to me. Let me make that clear though: I only know what's going on because I read about it. Otherwise, as far as the player knows, for example, Lena is just some random girl. I haven't actually spoiled the game's later story, or anything, though, only the first generation.
I have not as I don't read Japanese, but from what I understand they added a lot of stuff to both of them.
Looks like the cutscenes got far more text (and images). This is really the only huge complaint I had about PS2. The big scenes had mangled text and were presented extremely poorly. I still got the general idea of what was happening, and it was very interesting, but it could have been done much better. Then again, late 80s games are notorious for Engrish and mangled text, so it could have been far worse.
I still think PS2 manages to have the best ending of any game ever.
Ahhh... Phantasy Star 2, my first JRPG, and it wasn't a fantasy romp, but had a sci-fi setting! I remember thinking this was way better than that Link game on the NES (which I played at another friend's house), and I was really, really impressed with the graphics, having only an Atari 130XE machine at home where I played Ultima 4 which was basically black and white with stick figures (but both Phantasy Star 2 and Ultima 4 had 3D dungeons, which I liked)... mmm, rose tinted glasses... but I still bet I'd like the game even today.
Heard the proposition that RIAA and MPAA should join forces and form "Music And Film Industry Association"?
Perhaps hes talking about Phantasy Star 1? 2 had the most maze like round and round design and a ridiculously high encounter rate, honestly I hate 2's dungeons.
Perhaps hes talking about Phantasy Star 1? 2 had the most maze like round and round design and a ridiculously high encounter rate, honestly I hate 2's dungeons.
They were meant to be played with the Hint Book that accompanied the game, but any of the rereleases of the game won't have that, which makes it especially brutal.
That said, there's only one dungeon that I consider particularly frustrating, and I am sure folks who have finished the game can figure out which one I'm talking about.
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
Has anyone on this forum played the Japan only Generations remakes? Watched some videos, and they look like a mixed bag. The character sprites look amazing, particularly for 1, but the music is awful. I don't see how they could have remixed it any worse.
Generations is the remake of the series right? I was fucking fuming that it didn't come to the states.
Phantasy Star 4 is one of the greatest games I've ever played. I remember renting it from the video store back in like 1995, when it released in America. I would have been like 11 years old, lol. I just absolutely loved everything about it: the music, especially (anyone who's familiar with the Phantasy Star series will tell you the music is top-notch); the combat; the story; etc. Everything about that game was / is amazing, even today. The "cut-scenes" in the game unfold kind in a comic book style, and that really appealed to me, too. They were able to use that formula to really convey a lot of action, even given the limitations of the system.
I like all of the games in the Phantasy Star series, honestly, but Phantasy Star 4 stands apart as my favorite.
It's up there with Chrono Trigger for "Best Game of All Time", in my opinion.
[edit] Also, I own it for my Sega, and I've still got the original box stored away somewhere. I hear it's actually pretty valuable!
Phantasy Star Generations was intended to be a remake of all four, but they only did the first two. Still they look really good, I may have to slog through them in moonspeak.
It's got great presentation and fun encounters, macros were awesome and it was a cool way to wrap up the series. Having non Genesis sounds would make it ideal.
Picking between Phantasy Star IV and Shining Force II is my personal Sophie's Choice.
...I'm humming the title music right now. Christ - Shining Force has a workable substitute with Fire Emblem, but why isn't anyone filling my Phantasy Star itch?
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The art styles were redone, with mixed results. It looks good for 1, but Rolf and co. look really derpy. Rolf and Nei in particular look....bad. Nei's ears are really silly looking. Also the music is very airy and less intense (the drum machine was entirely removed, too). The remixes in Generations 1, for example, sound worse than the same tracks remixed in PS4.
I kind of liked the ridiculous stock sounds the enemies made in 2, anyway. Sounded like an atari game.
I'd probably play Generations 1 but skip 2. 3 could have used a remake more than 2, by far, and definitely more than 4. They could have turned it into a great game by just adding the proper story sequences and redoing the incredibly lazy graphics.
I could easily, and perhaps will, add 4 to my list of RPGs I still play semi-annually, along with FF6 and Baldur's Gate 2. \
It does have little side content though, which is disappointing. I mean, 2 didn't either, but that game was a dungeon crawler, you didn't want more dungeons in that.
I really hope the next PSO includes a timing system or something that makes Techs less "push button, receive bacon". Meleeing has always been more fun than casting from an engagement standpoint, and god damn it I love blowing shit up with psychic fire.
My favorite musical instrument is the air-raid siren.
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Amusingly, I had to grind more in IV (I had to grind for Lassic, and Dark Force). I don't think I had to grind for Zio, actually, but I did get a game over to him the first time.
In II, I had to grind all of one level at the end, so I'd have Megid for the final battles. But II is balanced around the assumption that you don't know what you are doing and wander around a bit, and take at least 2 trips to every dungeon: one to get a hang of it, and the second to plow through. If I had used maps from the internets, I would have had to grind, and I probably would have had a very negative opinion of the game, as the dungeons are all it has going for it, besides the cool battle theme. Yes, the plot twist in the middle and the surprise ending are cool, but those are only about 10 minutes total of a 30+ hour game.
Or something. I played it back when it came out, I think I still have the cart around here somewhere.
I loved PSO on both Dreamcast and Gamecube but didn't like anything afterwards. Hopefully PSO2 will resonate with me.
I enjoyed it, though it did get tiring at points. I've played other 80s RPGs (I have the whole pack of SSI ones, for that matter), and its very playable in comparisson.
What I mean is: its a dungeon crawler. Using maps would be like using a guide to solve the puzzles in a puzzle game. What you are left with is auto pilot combat and 2 poorly translated story segments. That's why I completely understand anyone who didn't like the game.
VC3: Best battle system. Back to older characters with a heavier plot (penal unit of "criminals" who have been stripped of their names) and best story. No export for you.
Also, the Valkyria Chronicles team is the Skies of Arcadia team. They can very much do a singleplayer RPG Phantasy Star.
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What I did not enjoy: Playing a mage (really can't think of the proper terms right now). In PSO, there was nice targeting lock on, you cast your spells, it was simple and lovely. PS: P you run around, hope you're not lined up a bit crooked, cast spell, hope it hits them before they move. Gaining levels in the spell techs and the ranks as "mage" was a pain in the ass... until I decide to hell with that and worked on my Ranger.
Really though, if you don't have a PS3 to use AdHock mode, or a computer that accepts the fancy setup for it, and don't know anyone local to play with you, don't get PS: P, just stick with PS: P2 since they got smart and included proper wifi.
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I haven't gotten far enough to see the generations gimmick, but the plot is presented in a very poor way, even compared to II. The main character is just wandering around randomly. Why does this asshole need a cyborg? Are cyborgs so common on this medieval world that he'd expect to get one? If so, why isn't there more technology? It feels like an RPG-maker game (and looks like one, too).
The combat UI is an eye sore and the graphics are worse than II. Some monsters are animated (poorly), but most are just static images. Lazy.
I booted up II expecting pain, but the game was so radically different than other RPGs I've played that I just had to get through it. Booting up III gives me Deja-vu. I think I've seen this game before. Also, its even more cryptic than II. I sometimes got lost as what next to do in that one, I looked up one or two things online in the entire game. In III, on the other hand, I don't think I will even attempt without a walkthrough.
On the other hand, despite what I've read, this is far from the worst RPG I've played. At least the minimalist storytelling means I don't have to read pages of horrible text. Just a few terribly mangled lines that seem very abrupt and silly.
these parts right here had my brain screaming Final Fantasy!!!!! for the NES :P thanks for that.
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Let me know if you add me on either.
I apparently used the hell out of the PS II hint book the game came with because it's impressively beaten up. The one note I wrote in it as a child, under the pictures of the pink cloud enemies from the second or third dungeon (Blastor?): "RUN AWAY!!"
I must've been super bad at the game then. PS2 I had to grind so much.
PS4, when I first beat it, I was in the upper 40's with my team. Then I would experiment with the levelling. I ran a team to 60 before beating the final boss, just to see how much a difference it would make. Then I beat the game somewhere in the high level 30's (couple people tapped into 40's).
Also I'll post those pictures of my PS2 strategy manual soon. I have to find it first, it's not where I had thought.
That being said, i was still greatly disappointed in PSU because it had far too high of monthly fees, and secondly it did not improve enough on the graphics and gameplay to really hold my attention for a long time. But i enjoyed it for a month and a half or so.
Reasons why PSU sucked: Far more cheap/annoying enemies/deaths. Weapon skills made actual melee worthless (And conversely you had to have several dozen weapons on hand to deal with using PP rapidly.) Techs were generally worthless until the Master Force inclusion. The way materials and boards worked. People want to pick up items, not boards that give you a very low chance of getting an item after you spend 30+ days raising a little robot to make an item. (Then being locked out of certain items because the bots stats werent high enough so you pretty much had to have friends to make them for you, buy them, or make a secondary one on a different character.) Really uneven stage rewards. (White demon all day erryday forever because it was the only one worth doing for xp.) The removal of MAGs when everyone fucking loved MAGs. (I have no idea why they did this.)
They added some pretty nice stuff later (Like actual item drops, better techs, the level cap advancement stuff) but by then the game was pretty much dead in the US.
Well, maybe, but what I meant was: I didn't use a guide, so I was wandering around mazes (or just the world, which had no world map) fighting tons and tons and tons of enemies, so my levels were always high. The game was released in the US with a guide, so you probably had more of an idea where to go and didn't have as many fights. Incidentally, this means that if I replay the game at some point, I will have to grind. All the PS games auto pilot fairly well, though, so grinding isn't a chore. I'm defining grinding fairly strictly, of course, as walking in circles in the same place to farm random battles.
And yes, the Blasters, or whatever they were called, wiped me. It wasn't an automatic game over, like the 4x mage encounter in Final Fantasy, but it might as well have been, when I fought 2 of them. Running away basically never works in this game.
The game feels more like Final Fantasy (back when it was fairly generic) than Phantasy Star II. That is to say, that even though the game lets you know early on that there's a sci-fi undercurrent, it feels like any dime a dozen 16bit fantasy RPG. Though the battles and enemy sprites don't. I don't even know what to think of the latter. "Bizarre" doesn't really begin to describe it.
I replay PS 1-4 every year, and I have been doing so since like 1997, which means I have played all four of them way more times than I care to count. I first played PS2 when my father obtained a copy in 1990, and I've been following the series ever since.
I have not as I don't read Japanese, but from what I understand they added a lot of stuff to both of them. For instance, in PS2, apparently your characters will have conversations with each other when they're just chilling out in your house in Paseo. It seems like a good idea in theory, but I'd need to see the execution.
We were supposed to get those remakes back in the day (a company named Renaissance Entertainment was working on it... yeah I've never heard of them either), but the project fell through.
The thing is, the aesthetic at the beginning isn't interesting (I don't know if it gets moreso). Slapping the player down in the middle of a generic looking town is not a good way to get them interested. This is especially true 20 years later.
Its somewhat picking up now, I just recruited my 5th party member, and since I actually looked up the story to the game, it is somewhat interesting to me. Let me make that clear though: I only know what's going on because I read about it. Otherwise, as far as the player knows, for example, Lena is just some random girl. I haven't actually spoiled the game's later story, or anything, though, only the first generation.
I think I'll be able to finish it.
Looks like the cutscenes got far more text (and images). This is really the only huge complaint I had about PS2. The big scenes had mangled text and were presented extremely poorly. I still got the general idea of what was happening, and it was very interesting, but it could have been done much better. Then again, late 80s games are notorious for Engrish and mangled text, so it could have been far worse.
I still think PS2 manages to have the best ending of any game ever.
They were meant to be played with the Hint Book that accompanied the game, but any of the rereleases of the game won't have that, which makes it especially brutal.
That said, there's only one dungeon that I consider particularly frustrating, and I am sure folks who have finished the game can figure out which one I'm talking about.
Generations is the remake of the series right? I was fucking fuming that it didn't come to the states.
I like all of the games in the Phantasy Star series, honestly, but Phantasy Star 4 stands apart as my favorite.
It's up there with Chrono Trigger for "Best Game of All Time", in my opinion.
[edit] Also, I own it for my Sega, and I've still got the original box stored away somewhere. I hear it's actually pretty valuable!
...I'm humming the title music right now. Christ - Shining Force has a workable substitute with Fire Emblem, but why isn't anyone filling my Phantasy Star itch?
The art styles were redone, with mixed results. It looks good for 1, but Rolf and co. look really derpy. Rolf and Nei in particular look....bad. Nei's ears are really silly looking. Also the music is very airy and less intense (the drum machine was entirely removed, too). The remixes in Generations 1, for example, sound worse than the same tracks remixed in PS4.
I kind of liked the ridiculous stock sounds the enemies made in 2, anyway. Sounded like an atari game.
I'd probably play Generations 1 but skip 2. 3 could have used a remake more than 2, by far, and definitely more than 4. They could have turned it into a great game by just adding the proper story sequences and redoing the incredibly lazy graphics.
This guy's officially my bro.
It does have little side content though, which is disappointing. I mean, 2 didn't either, but that game was a dungeon crawler, you didn't want more dungeons in that.