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Knocking on the door to the party: Phantasy Star IV
Lunker
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I've been wanting to buy the Sega Genesis Collection for a long while but I've always found one reason or another to avoid it. I'm finally going to pick up the PSP version tomorrow since it's only going to be $15 at GameStop (part of their big Game Days summer sale), and one of the main driving reasons I've wanted the collection is because of Phantasy Star IV, which I missed when it originally came out because it famously went for $100 at retail. I also saw that this was recently listed as an upcoming Japanese Virtual Console title, so I figured a sales pitch might be pertinent to people outside of my situation.
Word on the street is that PSIV is generally considered the best out of the PS series and one of the best Genesis RPGs overall. I'm going to find out for myself this week anyway, but I was curious to hear from other people: Sell me on PS4. I played and enjoyed PS2 and 3 but know very little about PS4 other than "good." What does everyone else like/dislike about it? Is it truly "the explosive finale?"
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But the game was so epically awesome, that I kept replaying it thinking that maybe THIS time it won't crash.
The best thing I can say offhand is that there's little in the way of grinding, and the graphics are top-notch for the generation.
But it's been a long, long, long time since I played it.
Hoping it hits VC soon.
If you've never played it, you really should. It's held up rather well considering its age, unlike PS2.
You might want to read the rules since talking about emulation is a big no-no.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Oooh, you're too late.
I was thinking of doing a Let's Play of all four Phantasy Star games. Would anyone be interested in seeing that?
DO IT.
Yes, that's a fairly infamous glitch. If you saved while the music was looping in PS1 it would destroy all of your saves. I'm not sure how that made it past the testing phase.
I guess the people have spoken. I will, indeed, do an LP of PS 1-4. I just need to hook my Master System up to my video card and figure out a few more logistical type things.
This is definitely happening though.
It's a glitch? I just thought the save battery went bad. I was pretty far into PS1 too. Perhaps the sewer treatment was a bit hasty. I was so mad though. Also, I think I paid something like four dollars for it.
Awesome.
I think you can play most of 'em on Gametap now, if figuring out the screencaps turns out to be a lot of hassle.
All of them are on Gametap, plus Gametap has it's own sort of save system on top of the standard in-game one for these games, so I don't think you'd have to worry about that save-deleting bug... I think...
Actually, very little grinding is needed. Sure, you can do it if you want and it will make the game easier, but you shouldn't need to do it at all. In fact, I hear this game is the easiest of the series.
PSIV is definitely the easiest of the series. The only place I can think of that "requires" grinding is the Air Castle. I don't know how anyone could get through there without the best stuff available.
PSI and II require grinding though. I'll talk about all of this stuff when I start the LP tonight. Gametap would be useful, but I don't want to pay for the service when I have all of the original carts. My save batteries are dead in PSIII and PSIV, but I have replacements on the way, so that should be sorted out by the time I get there. I'm going to set this all up, and I'll be back with an OP and all that in a little bit.
More games should let you stab cultists with a sword, then blow up sandworms from a tank a few minutes later.
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PS 2 is harder in a way.
PS 3 and 4 are easy. 3 is semi difficult to finish because battles are very boring.
4 is going to be on the VC sometime this month or next.
Pros:
One of the fastest paced JRPGs out there with quick battles, minimal grinding, plot developments left and right, and characters leaving and joining your party ala FF4.
Story sequences use a cool comic book style presentation
One of the first JRPGs I can think of that has a "Talk with your party" option in the main menu
Likeable characters
Some cool music
Solid spell/skill system complete with a few combo moves.
It's a Sci-Fi/Fantasy RPG that actually has a good deal of Sci-Fi in it (I'm looking at your Star "Let's crash on a backwards planet and stay there for 99% of the game" Ocean).
Cons:
Outside of story scenes, in-game graphics don't look good as some of the better SNES RPGs.
Some lame music
Very little character customization (although later on, you have a little say over who is in your party)
Spell names are odd which can be confusing before you've got stuff memorized.
Miscellaneous:
Fairly short (20-30 hours if I remember correctly)
Easier than PS1-3
Final Verdict:
One of my favorite 16-bit RPGs and it's stood the test of time better than most games of that era IMO. A game I enjoy replaying every year or two.
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire,
Oh lord, don't get me started on Star Ocean. :x I was tearing my hair out at the end of Till the End of Time for that exact reason. But thanks for the awesome Cliff's Notes guide, it sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for (I'm in a very old-school JRPG mood as of late). I remember reading about the game and being really impressed with those comic-book panels, but at the time no amount of begging was going to get my parents to buy a $100 game for me.
It could also have been a bootleg; I actually picked up the GBA PS Collections cart used for dirt-cheap too, but I ended up selling it off for one reason or another. I saw a bunch used, so part of me wonders how many of them ended up as bootlegs.
Because I picked up my Genesis late in its cycle, I think my perception of the PS series is kind of skewed. PS3 was the only one I ever finished to completion, and I didn't think it was all that bad. I picked up PS2 after the fact (mostly because I was curious about all the Nei-named weapons and items in PS3) but it was a bit too grind-heavy for even my JRPG-addicted younger self.
I never got into PS1 (when I played it on the GBA PS Collection)—way too rough around the edges, even for me.
Please do, every time I've tried to get into the series I just couldn't. I literally do not understand the battle system for the PS1.
A Let's Play would be perfect.
There's also an awesome glitch in PSIII, which I won't spoil for anyone just yet.
If you need a stronger endorsement, Zilo bought this game used in like 2001, which I'm sure cost more than its weight in gold, even though he didn't have a Genesis, just so _I_ could play it.
Althoguh I'm embarassed to say I still haven't beaten it, It is a fantastic game. I was a SNES guy, so I didn't play these the first time around. The biggest difference between this and the Square products is the pacing of the combat. You'll find that you kill everything without working for a 2 hour span, then run smack into encounters that will destroy your party in 2 rounds. I didn't mind that, though, because the combat is so well done.
I'll get a working Genesis someday, and when I do I don't want to be scouring ebay looking for crapped-up copies of the only game on the system I must have :P
Yes, it's definitely a glitch. I returned one copy of the game because of the glitch (thinking it was just my particular copy that was bad) before I read about it on the internets.
:^:
I just got mine for under $15, thanks to a CAG coupon, and honestly I had kind of forgotten half of the games that were on the collection. It's worth it for the three PS games alone, but there are at least 10 Genesis games that I either love (Golden Axe, Sonic, Sonic 2, Ecco) or have been dying to try (Ristar, Comix Zone). Best value buy of the century.
And apparently whoever wrote the copy for the museum portions of this game traveled forward in time to read my OP!
So far the 30 minutes I've played of PS4 seem very promising, though now the problem is that I'm tempted to also go back and retry PS2 and 3.
Of course, now you undoubtedly want to play the original. I'm so sorry.
It's THE BEST GENESIS RPG. Period. End of sentence.
EDIT: Also, it's story telling completely embarrasses Square's efforts on the SNES. Tiny 8-frame animated sprites have nothing on lush, comic-book style cutscenes.
And fans of the game will appreciate my forum handle, which is where I pulled it from. Other handles I've used included Tandle and Flaeli.
Warframe: TheBaconDwarf
For me, the introductory part is so cool. I have a soft spot for anime from that era, and it manages to capture just about everything the inner geek fanboy in me could ever want. Desert planet? Magic? High-tech swords and boomerangs (slashers)? Guns and tanks and sandworms? That late 80's/early 90's anime style where wearing a headband was still cool, and practically a requirement for the hero? Sign me right the fuck up. I'm yours. Ravage me.
Besides, the main guy's name is Chaz. If that's not ballsy, nothing is.
So, yes, a Let's Play is a very good idea indeed.
When it happens, the impact is much, much lessened if you've had it spoiled. If you haven't, it's one of the best moments in gaming.
BY THE WILL OF GOD HIMSELF!
Was Shining Force II the one with the big-ass dragon at the end? Or was that I? In any event, I remember playing the shit out of both of them on the SEGA Channel. That, and Pirates! Gold.