Phantasy Star Online 2 will be Free to Play!

[TrekkiesUnite118]

There's plenty of classic Phantasy Star in the online games. The look and feel is there, there's plenty of references old characters and places as well as events, the techniques and weapons are all there. All that's different are the setting and characters (obviously), and the gameplay was changed to take better advantage of the 3D and online capabilities of the Dreamcast.

[jerry coeurl]

All of the connections between Phantasy Star and Phantasy Star Online are superficial at best. Gameplay-wise, there are no similarities between them.

e: I didn't mean to get in a fight over this, I do see the merit in these games, they're just not for me. And I don't feel like they have any significant connections to the original series.

[The Jackal]

Are there any fan games that are based on the classic PS formula?

[TrekkiesUnite118]

The gameplay in Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe is BETTER than the old Phantasy Stars.

As I said there is no story to build off of for a Phantasy Star V. Going back and making stories that take place in between them would run the risk of screwing up the story that already exists. If Sega had made a single player Phantasy Star, it probably would have been a brand new story with no connection to the old ones. And if you are ok with that, your argument about the connections between PSO and Classic Phantasy Star go completely out the window.

And Phantasy Star Universe has a bit more connections and references than PSO. There's even references to Phantasy Star III in PSU.

[jerry coeurl]

Are there any fan games that are based on the classic PS formula?

That's a good question. I have no idea.

The gameplay in Phantasy Star Online and Phantasy Star Universe is BETTER than the old Phantasy Stars.

Maybe to you. I prefer traditional, turn-based jrpgs that have a strong emphasis on plot and character development as opposed to online multiplayer stuff that is more about the collective, shared experience. Neither is objectively better, though; you just prefer the latter while I prefer the former.

As I said there is no story to build off of for a Phantasy Star V. Going back and making stories that take place in between them would run the risk of screwing up the story that already exists. If Sega had made a single player Phantasy Star, it probably would have been a brand new story with no connection to the old ones. And if you are ok with that, your argument about the connections between PSO and Classic Phantasy Star go completely out the window.

They could make a prequel to the first game, they could make a game that takes place during Phantasy Star III but actually place it in the Algo system... there are a lot of possibilities to make a Phantasy Star to fit the established canon if you're as creative as SEGA used to be.

And Phantasy Star Universe has a bit more connections and references than PSO. There's even references to Phantasy Star III in PSU.

Well I couldn't stand the voice acting, characters or story in PSU so I didn't play for very long, so this may be true. I'm not a huge fan of Phantasy Star III either, though, so that's kind of a moot point to me.

You never answered my question, though.

Skies of Arcadia was one of the best RPGs of its generation. You're telling me that the team that made that game couldn't have come up with a good Phantasy Star?

[TrekkiesUnite118]

A traditional Phantasy Star may have been ok, but it would have been weak in relation to the older titles, due to the lack of story to build off of. It would have been another Phantasy Star III most likely. Sega at this time was better at starting fresh with new ideas (Skies of Arcadia, Jet Set Radio) or rebooting older franchises (Sonic Adventure, Phantasy Star Online). Trying to build a sequel off of something they hadn't touched in over 7 years is a bit hard to do.

As for the references in PSU, in episode 2 and 3 the Planet Rykros appears in the Gurhal System with Dark Falz. You go to the planet and fight Dark Falz and on the planet you find items for your character that are not only from Phantasy Star Online but also from the classic series. You find Armor from the main characters of Phantasy Star III (Orakio Armor), you find Weapons from characters of Phantasy Star 2 and Phantasy Star IV(Nei's Claw, Rika's Claw, etc.).

The atmosphere of the games is still clearly Phantasy Star's atmosphere, the stories have similarities as well as some references, enemies, and bosses to keep old fans happy. Heck even the music has similarities:

[Melf]

I beat PSU and put over 400 hours into PSO on the DC and Xbox, and they didn't feel like Phantasy Star games to me at all. There are some elements that cross over, but the feel just wasn't there. I like to think of them as side stories or something and love them for what they are, but I refuse to believe that this is the permanent direction for the series.

The big problem I have with the PSO/PSU games is how they diluted the fan base by changing directions entirely, and then diluted it some more by making it pay-to-play, and then diluted it even MORE by putting it on handhelds. It's almost like they went down a checklist of how to alienate PS fans.

Many of the same people who worked on the PS games were involved with Skies of Arcadia (including Rieko Kodama). I'm sure they could make an excellent, true RPG if they wanted to. The problem isn't that they can't; it's that they don't want to.

[jerry coeurl]

I beat PSU and put over 400 hours into PSO on the DC and Xbox, and they didn't feel like Phantasy Star games to me at all. There are some elements that cross over, but the feel just wasn't there. I like to think of them as side stories or something and love them for what they are, but I refuse to believe that this is the permanent direction for the series.

Yeah, PSO never felt like Phantasy Star to me. Even though there are connections, they're more like easter eggs or callbacks than real, significant ties to the original games. I never hated PSO, it's good for what it is, but it really didn't need to have Phantasy Star in the title.

The big problem I have with the PSO/PSU games is how they diluted the fan base by changing directions entirely, and then diluted it some more by making it pay-to-play, and then diluted it even MORE by putting it on handhelds. It's almost like they went down a checklist of how to alienate PS fans.

Yeah, and now it's on smartphones, too.

Many of the same people who worked on the PS games were involved with Skies of Arcadia (including Rieko Kodama). I'm sure they could make an excellent, true RPG if they wanted to. The problem isn't that they can't; it's that they don't want to.

Exactly, I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. I probably wouldn't have such a problem with PSO if they had continued to make more traditional single-player RPGs as well, but now it's completely eclipsed and replaced the property that it's "based" on.

Thanks for chiming in, Melf!

[j_factor]

The problem I already have with the online Phantasy Star games, which this one isn't helping, is the fact that they're all over the place and difficult to keep track of. I enjoyed the initial PSO, but since then the series has been pretty discouraging. The situation with PSO Episode IV is particularly annoying.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

FYI, the smartphone version is more like an app that allows you to manage your inventory and shops, chat with friends, and play a single player mini-game with your character.

The Portable versions are PSU and PSO side stories. Considering how many people have DS systems and PSPs I think it's a bit stupid to say Sega was alienating fans, especially when you see how many platforms the online Phantasy Star games have been on. That list includes the following:

Dreamcast
Gamecube
Xbox
Playstation 2
Xbox 360
Nintendo DS
Playstation Portable
Playstation Vita
PC

That's not alienating fans, that's making it accessible to more people.

How do these games not feel like Phantasy Star? Please explain this one beyond "It just doesn't". The towns and cities feel like towns and cities from PSII and PSIV. The music in many instances has remixes of old Phantasy Star Music in it. The enemies in many cases are based on enemies from the old Phantasy Stars. The bosses look and feel like bosses form the classic Phantasy Star. The planets are obvious references to the Algol system, there are characters who are obvious references to classic Phantasy Star characters. The dungeons feel like they are taken straight out of PSII and PSIV.

Seriously, what is missing from these games that makes them not feel like Phantasy Star?

[jerry coeurl]

How do these games not feel like Phantasy Star? Please explain this one beyond "It just doesn't".

Well for starters, they aren't turned-based RPGs.

[ThugsRook]

smartphones are for stupidpeople.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

Well for starters, they aren't turned-based RPGs.

So the entire atmosphere of Phantasy Star solely depends on it being a turn-based RPG?

[Black_Tiger]

This is great news, and I might just buy it, but I really wish Sega would do a proper sequel to the original Phantasy Star.

I just hope that PSO2 has that special quality that PSO has but PSU was missing.

[jerry coeurl]

So the entire atmosphere of Phantasy Star solely depends on it being a turn-based RPG?

Not the entire atmosphere, no, but that's a big part of it. Gameplay is, to me, the most defining aspect of a game.

And there are other things, of course. There are no more fantasy (phantasy?) elements, it's full sci-fi. The environmental design feels completely different to me, aside from possibly the towns, of which there are like two. The only solid connections are remixes and weapon names, which don't amount to much more than simple references. There's nothing about these games that make me feel like they take place within the Phantasy Star continuity.