There’s an insane amount of customization involved (free or otherwise), so every single player character feels different. The more you play PSO 2, the more you’ll appreciate it. The Xbox One edition also benefits from very fast load times (with a unique visual style that bolsters its sometimes dated effects), which gives it a leg up on many modern games that buckle under scrutiny. Zones have weight to them, with heavily-stylized themes and gigantic bosses that you’ll remember after you’ve downed them. There’s a massive story to explore that frequently relies on common media tropes, but also contains plenty of growth for its growing, unique cast. PSO 2 is delivered “episodically” as a live service game, but with the delayed localization, you’re basically getting years of free updates at all once. While you can grind for loot to your heart’s content, everything story-wise is broken into narrative chunks, which makes for great “just one mission” sessions. You can thankfully try every class at will in training mode and swap freely between them, leveling classes on the same character. Just like the sheer number of cosmetics in this game, which we’ll discuss momentarily, there’s a lot to ponder strategically. On the flipside, ranged combat allows players to take potshots at weak points directly with an aiming system, and weapons like the Gunblade (thanks Squall) cover everything. If you’re a fan of parrying, the katana might be your jam, with the option to execute perfect defense counters. Again, the moment-to-moment gameplay is engaging, and there’s a class out there to suit any potential action playstyle. If you’re willing to put in the time and learn those systems, PSO 2 can be extremely rewarding. ![]() Even as someone who has played MMOs since Ultima Online, it’s a lot at first. Rewards can be buried within menus, of which there are many in the game’s frankly tiny-text-heavy pause screen. ![]() Early on you can re-roll your character and choose a new class, juggle items to feed your MAG (a floating companion) to min-max your statline, and discern what skills to take next in your ability tree. There’s a casino and a cafe filled to the brim with optional sidequests that grant massive benefits. The lobby is actually comprised of multiple locations, all of which offer countless shops. Once you really start to take notice of everything around you though, it can get extremely daunting. The tutorial does a decent job of setting the stage for its sci-fi theme (in which you are a member of ARKS, a benevolent space organization) and will acclimate new players nicely to the literal rhythm (pressing buttons in time does more damage) of PSO‘s combat system. It doesn’t really matter what class you choose, whether it’s a hulking sword-wielder or a laser-pistol-toting rogue being able to jump, dodge, attack, and trigger abilities in real-time with a button press is as intuitive as it gets. In theory, PSO 2 doesn’t have the same allure that it once did in this age of myriad competitors, but it still holds up for a certain kind of audience.īecause of the action-centric flow, PSO 2 is very easy to pick up. ![]() In PSO 2, which is very much in the same vein as the original game (just greatly expanded and free-to-play), you’ll choose between several races and classes, then dive into various generated sandboxes with different themes: tropical forests, lava worlds, technological underground ruins, stuff like that. So what is Phantasy Star Online? Well it’s a lot like old school dungeon crawlers, but with MMO lobby elements and bright blue Sega aesthetics. The fact that it was a rare console action RPG also made it both endearing and stylish. Through the act of camaraderie, a hell of a lot of bright charm, and an expansive loot system, PSO encouraged people to shine with their own personally created avatars and join a community that so many folks just hadn’t experienced up until that point. Heck, the original PSO even greatly benefited from the eventual 2003 Xbox port, which proudly required an Xbox Live fee on top of a “Hunter’s Pass” monthly fee: I remember subscribing to it! Although several games did dabble in it (shoutout to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 on PS2), it wasn’t until Xbox Live sashayed across the stage in 2002 that it really started to catch on from a publisher standpoint. Here’s upbeat time travel music to set the scene.īack in the year 2000, the online console scene was in its infancy. So what’s all the hubbub about? Why have so many people wanted Sega to localize a game that’s nearly eight years old at this point? To answer that question, let’s mentally travel to the Dreamcast era. Released: J(Japan) / Ap(West – Xbox One) / May TBA (West – PC) Phantasy Star Online 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One ) Has someone made a Phantasy Star Online podcast called HUcast yet? Get it?Īw man, I can’t believe this game is finally out. Recommended for Humans, Newmans and Deumans
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