I really hate this mentality. The Genesis soundchip was fucking great. Most people just didn't know how to put it to use (hint: the makers of Ys, makers of Sonic, and makers of Phantasy Star 4 are the top examples of doing it right).
Probably my lifelong Nintendo fanboyism showing but Genny music normally makes my ears bleed.
I grew up with a Genesis, but this isn't about one being better than the other, it's about chipsets being put to use well, video game to video game. SNES had good sounds to it when used right, same as the Genesis.
The only game that has music comparable to Phantasy Star 4, in my opinion, is Chrono Trigger. I like them both for different reasons, but they're both basically top-notch. I can't think of many other games that even come close to those two in terms of musical compositions and execution.
Speaking of which, could you guys help me out? I've been interested in this Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album for a while (here's the link: http://www.otaku.com/products/25200&referer=googleps). My wife was going to buy it for me for Christmas, as a surprise, but it looks like you've got to have a PayPal account to purchase it from Otaku. She'd ideally like to just be able to buy it with our card. I'm having a terribly difficult time trying to find this thing for sale anywhere on the internet. I see some places where it's sold out. Could you guys help me track down a reputable site where we can purchase this CD? I really want it.
I never liked the SNES's cruddy MIDI. Genesis sounds like a video game system should.
Henroid's right though, it's all about tailoring the music for the system you're putting it on, and Phantasy Star generally did a good job at this (except for 3).
Apparantly the same man composed III and IV. I was surprised, though there are some good tracks in III, such as the title and world map music. This isn't one of them though.
I never understood the outright PSIII hate. A lesser game than IV? Of course. Not a true game in the series? Yep. Terrible? It's a nice RPG with some innovation in its familial generational gameplay.
I came to the series late after trading my free promotional PS2 for Moonwalker and Columns back in the day. Do not regret the trade one bit. PS2 is murder. I cannot deal with the slow walking speed and plethora of random battles in this day and age. I find PSIII easier to tolerate, even with it being the "lesser" game.
Walking speed and encounter rate are exactly the same in 3. Only difference is that the dungeons aren't as creative. They are both dungeon crawlers with minimal story (though it is there and far better than the average video game story), but 2 has better art design, harder dungeons, and is overall less half-assed in design.
My displeasure is because I"m playing all of them, back to back, and it isn't nearly as good. Its far from the worst JRPG I've played, though. IF it were that bad, I wouldn't be playing it. I don't play JRPGs I absolutely hate, I shut them off without a second thought. And trust me, in this genre, that's most games.
I never understood the outright PSIII hate. A lesser game than IV? Of course. Not a true game in the series? Yep. Terrible? It's a nice RPG with some innovation in its familial generational gameplay.
I came to the series late after trading my free promotional PS2 for Moonwalker and Columns back in the day. Do not regret the trade one bit. PS2 is murder. I cannot deal with the slow walking speed and plethora of random battles in this day and age. I find PSIII easier to tolerate, even with it being the "lesser" game.
Oh by innovation you mean something they lifted wholesale from Fire Emblem.
Oh by innovation you mean something they lifted wholesale from Fire Emblem.
Never played Fire Emblem nor read anything about being able to marry and carry on with your children in that game. I'll have to try it out. That said, both Fire Emblem and Phantasy Star III were released in '90. You can hardly say PSIII ripped it off.
I am going to have to dig out the Genesis Collection to replay PS2 and PSIII. I remember PSIII being a much smoother experience for me than PS2, but the walking speed is clearly not as swift as I remember.
Shit I'm gonna have to eat crow on that one. I always forget how old PS III is. The first FE game with multi generational play wasn't until 1994.
That is the one interesting part of the game. The graphics, sound effects, plot, game mechanics though all drag compared to the rest of them. It's a red headed stepchild.
That said, both Fire Emblem and Phantasy Star III were released in '90.
Wow. I've played some of the original Fire Emblem, and while it's cool and all, it definitely looks and feels like an old NES game. To know that it and PS3 were out in the same year...such a gap.
Phantasy Star III looks great, technically, for a game its age. It just has a very boring tileset and bizarre enemy design.
Actually, all the first 3 games are way ahead of the curve in graphics and storytelling. Fourth one is graphically nothing special for its age, but its still ahead in storytelling.
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
Phantasy Star III looks great, technically, for a game its age. It just has a very boring tileset and bizarre enemy design.
Actually, all the first 3 games are way ahead of the curve in graphics and storytelling. Fourth one is graphically nothing special for its age, but its still ahead in storytelling.
The huge heads actually wiggle their ears when they attack you. I nearly laughed out loud the first time I saw it. Them, and the huge naked men (a reoccurring theme in this game, mind you) who wiggle their abs when they attack. Then there's the half bat, half wolf....thing, with their paws just hanging downwards.
The enemies go overboard to offset the boring terrain. They are anything but.
Actually, all the first 3 games are way ahead of the curve in graphics and storytelling. Fourth one is graphically nothing special for its age, but its still ahead in storytelling.
I don't know, man. Phantasy Star 4 officially released in 1993, and I'd probably say it's graphically superior to other titles that came out that year, like Secret of Mana (which I love, and am totally not dissing -- don't get me wrong). But PS4 didn't release in Europe and America until 2 years later, in 1995. So, you could say it's nothing special for its age in terms of graphics, but you have to keep in mind that you're probably mentally comparing it to other games that came out in 1995, like Chrono Trigger, when it should probably be compared to games that came out 2 years earlier. You know what I'm saying?
Oh wow. After getting game overs to Dark Force in both 2 and 4, 3's is a wimp. Absolutely rolled him the first time.
Anyway, I beat the game with Aron. I was trying to keep my bloodline pure of Layan taint, but noooo, Nial just had to ruin that. So I went with the choice who wasn't...Laya. I got the goofy ending. Wonderful. Yeah, ending sucked.
I noticed that none of the heroes except Rhys have any personality. You know Rhys is a badass, because he's ready to invade the Layans' lands and kill all of them after they steal his woman. None of his descendents ever say...anything...unless I missed something? Out of all of the games, this is the one that needs a remake. It could be good. But the story needs clarification, and the gameplay needs to be ramped up. Its way too easy.
The game wasn't all bad. It got genuinely interesting once they actually start revealing the story to you: well into generation 2. But I doubt I will ever play this again. I'd say "if you liked 2 and 4, you might as well play this too. Be warned though, it...kinda sucks".
Is it even worth playing the first one? It seems better to start at 2 or 3. I kind of think that is why they did not put it on the Genesis Collection.
If I wanted someone to actually play the series, I'd recommend they start with 4, so that they don't shut it off in 10 minutes and never look back. But 1 is playable, I got a decent amount in before I committed to beating 3. 1 is far less cryptic than 3. I can't imagine beating 3 without a guide, and I beat 2 without relying on such things. I consulted a guide like twice or three times total in 2, and it mostly "is the dungeon I'm supposed to be in?" sort of things. 3 was just stupid in that regard and I'll openly admit to keeping gamefaqs open through pretty much the entire thing. Half the game was traveling to random locations I assume you're supposed to guess?
All I have to do is finish 1, and I'll be through the series. Like 2, however, I'll have to get out my paper for mapping. I honestly don't like this sort of first person game. Its why I've never beaten any of the old AD&D games.
1 is on the Genesis collection, by the way, but as an extra. Its not with the other games because its not a Genesis game.
Ah, I see that you have to beat the first boss on Sonic 2 with 2 players to unlock PS1 on the "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection". Yeesh. Not hard, but kind of annoying. I might go ahead and do that.
Ah, I see that you have to beat the first boss on Sonic 2 with 2 players to unlock PS1 on the "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection". Yeesh. Not hard, but kind of annoying. I might go ahead and do that.
Yeah, I had to use my Driving Force GT as the second "controller" to start a 2 player game to unlock Phantasy Star.
Ah, I see that you have to beat the first boss on Sonic 2 with 2 players to unlock PS1 on the "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection". Yeesh. Not hard, but kind of annoying. I might go ahead and do that.
Yeah, I had to use my Driving Force GT as the second "controller" to start a 2 player game to unlock Phantasy Star.
I just unlocked it. I used an old Logitech WingMan controller. It mapped all of the PS3 buttons. It was kind of neat.
I'm probably thinking too much into a game that's full of plot holes, but 3 has to take place before 4. At the end of 4, you go into Dark Force's dimension and permanently destroy him. He couldn't be haunting the world of 3 after he's dead.
Then again, 3 takes place 1,000 years after a civil war, not after 2, according to the intro. So if you go by the intro, 3 takes place after 4 (1,000 years after, because Dark Force has risen twice) But, I don't really trust 3's internal logic, so I'm going with my assumption.
I'm probably thinking too much into a game that's full of plot holes, but 3 has to take place before 4. At the end of 4, you go into Dark Force's dimension and permanently destroy him. He couldn't be haunting the world of 3 after he's dead.
Then again, 3 takes place 1,000 years after a civil war, not after 2, according to the intro. So if you go by the intro, 3 takes place after 4 (1,000 years after, because Dark Force has risen twice) But, I don't really trust 3's internal logic, so I'm going with my assumption.
The Profound Darkness is different from Dark Force.
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
I'm probably thinking too much into a game that's full of plot holes, but 3 has to take place before 4. At the end of 4, you go into Dark Force's dimension and permanently destroy him. He couldn't be haunting the world of 3 after he's dead.
Then again, 3 takes place 1,000 years after a civil war, not after 2, according to the intro. So if you go by the intro, 3 takes place after 4 (1,000 years after, because Dark Force has risen twice) But, I don't really trust 3's internal logic, so I'm going with my assumption.
The Profound Darkness is different from Dark Force.
Dark Force was an extension, or rather projection, of the Profound Darkness. So whether part 3 took place during part 4 or after it by some amount, or even before it, a sleeping Dark Force being there on the ship makes perfect sense. Remember, part of the point of part 4 was that the events of part 2 weakened the barrier that keeps the Profound Darkness away, which meant multiple projections of Dark Force could be put into place.
The Profound Darkness is different from Dark Force.
Sort of, yeah. Dark Force is essentially just an extension of the Profound Darkness. It's like a spawn that can exist outside of the main body. According to the official timeline, Phantasy Star III and IV take place at roughly the same time: in AW 2284, the first generation of PSIII is doing its thing (on Alisa-III), and the events of PSIV take place (in the Algol system). Twenty years later, PSIII's second generation is active, and the third takes the field twenty years after that. The Profound Darkness may have been defeated in PSIV, but the Dark Force who's on board Alisa-III has been trapped there for a thousand years by Orakio and Laya, so I can understand why he might be kicking around.
The Profound Darkness is different from Dark Force.
Sort of, yeah. Dark Force is essentially just an extension of the Profound Darkness. It's like a spawn that can exist outside of the main body. According to the official timeline, Phantasy Star III and IV take place at roughly the same time: in AW 2284, the first generation of PSIII is doing its thing (on Alisa-III), and the events of PSIV take place (in the Algol system). Twenty years later, PSIII's second generation is active, and the third takes the field twenty years after that. The Profound Darkness may have been defeated in PSIV, but the Dark Force who's on board Alisa-III has been trapped there for a thousand years by Orakio and Laya, so I can understand why he might be kicking around.
It would also explain why he's the easiest to kill! <_<
Also I just remembered, when you go into the PD's dimension, you encounter the first game's Dark Force as a regular random encounter.
Remember, part of the point of part 4 was that the events of part 2 weakened the barrier that keeps the Profound Darkness away, which meant multiple projections of Dark Force could be put into place.
... I paid WAY too much attention to things. <_<
Nah, that's exactly what happened. Remember, in PSIV, there are multiple Dark Forces roaming around: one possesses Zio, granting him great power so that the wizard will establish a cult devoted to the false god on Motavia; one corrupts the artificial satellite, Kuran; another infested the Garuberk Tower, and engineered both a terrible storm and a deadly plague, which turned the people of Reshel into zombies; and another either was Seth, or possessed an archaeologist named Seth, in order to get close to the Aero-Prism that would lead the way to Rykros.
And, obviously, there was another one trapped on board Alisa-III.
Remember, part of the point of part 4 was that the events of part 2 weakened the barrier that keeps the Profound Darkness away, which meant multiple projections of Dark Force could be put into place.
... I paid WAY too much attention to things. <_<
Nah, that's exactly what happened. Remember, in PSIV, there are multiple Dark Forces roaming around: one possesses Zio, granting him great power so that the wizard will establish a cult devoted to the false god on Motavia; one corrupts the artificial satellite, Kuran; another infested the Garuberk Tower, and engineered both a terrible storm and a deadly plague, which turned the people of Reshel into zombies; and another either was Seth, or possessed an archaeologist named Seth, in order to get close to the Aero-Prism that would lead the way to Rykros.
And, obviously, there was another one trapped on board Alisa-III.
Is it really accurate to say Zio was possessed by Dark Force? When he's defeated, he's definitely crying out to Dark Force as an entity. I think the Kuran-infesting Dark Force is the one that was influencing Zio.
Seth was fucking cool by the way. Having access to the shadow abilities was so sweeeeeet.
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I really hate this mentality. The Genesis soundchip was fucking great. Most people just didn't know how to put it to use (hint: the makers of Ys, makers of Sonic, and makers of Phantasy Star 4 are the top examples of doing it right).
I grew up with a Genesis, but this isn't about one being better than the other, it's about chipsets being put to use well, video game to video game. SNES had good sounds to it when used right, same as the Genesis.
I've never heard anything on the system that sounds as rich as SNES music.
Speaking of which, could you guys help me out? I've been interested in this Phantasy Star 1st Series Complete Album for a while (here's the link: http://www.otaku.com/products/25200&referer=googleps). My wife was going to buy it for me for Christmas, as a surprise, but it looks like you've got to have a PayPal account to purchase it from Otaku. She'd ideally like to just be able to buy it with our card. I'm having a terribly difficult time trying to find this thing for sale anywhere on the internet. I see some places where it's sold out. Could you guys help me track down a reputable site where we can purchase this CD? I really want it.
Henroid's right though, it's all about tailoring the music for the system you're putting it on, and Phantasy Star generally did a good job at this (except for 3).
Should have just gone full troll mode and made that the only battle music.
I came to the series late after trading my free promotional PS2 for Moonwalker and Columns back in the day. Do not regret the trade one bit. PS2 is murder. I cannot deal with the slow walking speed and plethora of random battles in this day and age. I find PSIII easier to tolerate, even with it being the "lesser" game.
My displeasure is because I"m playing all of them, back to back, and it isn't nearly as good. Its far from the worst JRPG I've played, though. IF it were that bad, I wouldn't be playing it. I don't play JRPGs I absolutely hate, I shut them off without a second thought. And trust me, in this genre, that's most games.
The one on the left is Rolf, the one on the right is Rhys, from Phantasy Star III.
Oh by innovation you mean something they lifted wholesale from Fire Emblem.
Never played Fire Emblem nor read anything about being able to marry and carry on with your children in that game. I'll have to try it out. That said, both Fire Emblem and Phantasy Star III were released in '90. You can hardly say PSIII ripped it off.
I am going to have to dig out the Genesis Collection to replay PS2 and PSIII. I remember PSIII being a much smoother experience for me than PS2, but the walking speed is clearly not as swift as I remember.
That is the one interesting part of the game. The graphics, sound effects, plot, game mechanics though all drag compared to the rest of them. It's a red headed stepchild.
Wow. I've played some of the original Fire Emblem, and while it's cool and all, it definitely looks and feels like an old NES game. To know that it and PS3 were out in the same year...such a gap.
Actually, all the first 3 games are way ahead of the curve in graphics and storytelling. Fourth one is graphically nothing special for its age, but its still ahead in storytelling.
Probably my biggest problem with it right there.
The enemies go overboard to offset the boring terrain. They are anything but.
I don't know, man. Phantasy Star 4 officially released in 1993, and I'd probably say it's graphically superior to other titles that came out that year, like Secret of Mana (which I love, and am totally not dissing -- don't get me wrong). But PS4 didn't release in Europe and America until 2 years later, in 1995. So, you could say it's nothing special for its age in terms of graphics, but you have to keep in mind that you're probably mentally comparing it to other games that came out in 1995, like Chrono Trigger, when it should probably be compared to games that came out 2 years earlier. You know what I'm saying?
Just my 2c.
Have you played FF4 recently? The original game, not any of the remakes that upgrade the graphics? I can assure you that your statement is hyperbole.
Also, on PS4, I wasn't aware there was a 2 year gap there, assumed it was just one. Fair enough.
But given what the out of combat sprites and, especially, the towns in general look like in that game, I think that's a rather silly comment to make.
But, there's a thread for FF games that I would gladly debate their merits in, pointlessly, for hours.
I near the end of Phantasy Star III, and shall comment shortly on the ending, if its worth any comment.
... ?
Anyway, I beat the game with Aron. I was trying to keep my bloodline pure of Layan taint, but noooo, Nial just had to ruin that. So I went with the choice who wasn't...Laya. I got the goofy ending. Wonderful. Yeah, ending sucked.
I noticed that none of the heroes except Rhys have any personality. You know Rhys is a badass, because he's ready to invade the Layans' lands and kill all of them after they steal his woman. None of his descendents ever say...anything...unless I missed something? Out of all of the games, this is the one that needs a remake. It could be good. But the story needs clarification, and the gameplay needs to be ramped up. Its way too easy.
The game wasn't all bad. It got genuinely interesting once they actually start revealing the story to you: well into generation 2. But I doubt I will ever play this again. I'd say "if you liked 2 and 4, you might as well play this too. Be warned though, it...kinda sucks".
If I wanted someone to actually play the series, I'd recommend they start with 4, so that they don't shut it off in 10 minutes and never look back. But 1 is playable, I got a decent amount in before I committed to beating 3. 1 is far less cryptic than 3. I can't imagine beating 3 without a guide, and I beat 2 without relying on such things. I consulted a guide like twice or three times total in 2, and it mostly "is the dungeon I'm supposed to be in?" sort of things. 3 was just stupid in that regard and I'll openly admit to keeping gamefaqs open through pretty much the entire thing. Half the game was traveling to random locations I assume you're supposed to guess?
All I have to do is finish 1, and I'll be through the series. Like 2, however, I'll have to get out my paper for mapping. I honestly don't like this sort of first person game. Its why I've never beaten any of the old AD&D games.
1 is on the Genesis collection, by the way, but as an extra. Its not with the other games because its not a Genesis game.
Yeah, I had to use my Driving Force GT as the second "controller" to start a 2 player game to unlock Phantasy Star.
I just unlocked it. I used an old Logitech WingMan controller. It mapped all of the PS3 buttons. It was kind of neat.
Then again, 3 takes place 1,000 years after a civil war, not after 2, according to the intro. So if you go by the intro, 3 takes place after 4 (1,000 years after, because Dark Force has risen twice) But, I don't really trust 3's internal logic, so I'm going with my assumption.
The Profound Darkness is different from Dark Force.
Dark Force was an extension, or rather projection, of the Profound Darkness. So whether part 3 took place during part 4 or after it by some amount, or even before it, a sleeping Dark Force being there on the ship makes perfect sense. Remember, part of the point of part 4 was that the events of part 2 weakened the barrier that keeps the Profound Darkness away, which meant multiple projections of Dark Force could be put into place.
... I paid WAY too much attention to things. <_<
Sort of, yeah. Dark Force is essentially just an extension of the Profound Darkness. It's like a spawn that can exist outside of the main body. According to the official timeline, Phantasy Star III and IV take place at roughly the same time: in AW 2284, the first generation of PSIII is doing its thing (on Alisa-III), and the events of PSIV take place (in the Algol system). Twenty years later, PSIII's second generation is active, and the third takes the field twenty years after that. The Profound Darkness may have been defeated in PSIV, but the Dark Force who's on board Alisa-III has been trapped there for a thousand years by Orakio and Laya, so I can understand why he might be kicking around.
It would also explain why he's the easiest to kill! <_<
Also I just remembered, when you go into the PD's dimension, you encounter the first game's Dark Force as a regular random encounter.
Nah, that's exactly what happened. Remember, in PSIV, there are multiple Dark Forces roaming around: one possesses Zio, granting him great power so that the wizard will establish a cult devoted to the false god on Motavia; one corrupts the artificial satellite, Kuran; another infested the Garuberk Tower, and engineered both a terrible storm and a deadly plague, which turned the people of Reshel into zombies; and another either was Seth, or possessed an archaeologist named Seth, in order to get close to the Aero-Prism that would lead the way to Rykros.
And, obviously, there was another one trapped on board Alisa-III.
Prophallus, yeah.
Is it really accurate to say Zio was possessed by Dark Force? When he's defeated, he's definitely crying out to Dark Force as an entity. I think the Kuran-infesting Dark Force is the one that was influencing Zio.
Seth was fucking cool by the way. Having access to the shadow abilities was so sweeeeeet.