Phantasy Star Universe

Phantasy Star Online was a game that was quite hard to identify in the gaming world. On one hand, it was what most considered a MMORPG- a RPG primarily concerning itself with the ability to hook people up to play together. On the other hand, it was an action game, featuring more interactivity than most games when it came to the battle system and other miscellany. Of course, it did not survive as it should- the fact that it originally released on the Dreamcast generally spelling out it's doom before it even was released. However, a hardcore contingency of gamers continue to play it to this day, and Sega has noticed them. And, as kind of a ?sorry for not doing much for the last couple years? award, they released the latest rendition of the Phantasy Star series- Phantasy Star Universe.

Phantasy Star Universe is nothing completely original in that it really follows what the old games were about. Featuring both an ?offline? mode and a ?network? mode, gamers can either blast their way through many dungeons with hero Ethan Waber, or take it on your own initiative to play the online mode.

So, that being said, I will actually not be dividing this review up. Why? Simply because the game is similar in both renditions. The only thing that makes PSU different when it comes to online and offline is the ability to customize your character. Therefore, I will be grandiose with this review and completely piss off many hardcore gamers by lumping the entire game up and packaging it to you in my normal boring way.



Phantasy Star Universe and the ?Dot Hack? series share two major similarities (or flaws, as I should say). First off, they are primarily concerned with dungeon crawling and battling many monsters in generic areas. Secondly, they both probably win the award for featuring some of the most generic and uninteresting characters in the history of gaming. Take, for example, PSU's Ethan Waber. Your generic somewhat-masculine anime teen, he is naturally confronted with some disaster (In this case, SEED enemies), and given the charge to save the world. With his trusty companions Karen Erra and Hyuga Ryght, he will battle through many dungeons and ?missions?, attempting to save the world. This is all tied up in a really strange ?Episode? system, which very blatantly tries to emulate a TV show. So much so, that every new episode has the same opening cut scene play, along with a generic Japanese song and splash screen. You may think I'm kidding, but I'm not. I was half expecting some mutant bunny-cat-mouse girl to jump out of the screen wearing a maid costume and yell ?How may I serve you master? while swinging a katana. It may be an easter egg that I just didn't find.

You should already be able to tell that this game is by far not original. Hell, it is not even attempting to be. All in all, Phantasy Star Universe is something that we have seen before, re-packaged with slightly better graphics and sound. In this case, I feel it is prudent that, before I even begin to critique the game engine itself, I at least give you warning that the game is very bland, especially in the offline mode. The battle engine is much like that of Kingdom Hearts or Dot Hack, meaning that it basically boils down to ?mash a lot of buttons to kill things?. It's certainly not a BAD engine, but it does get irritating after a while. Weapons, of course, boil down rather simply: guns or swords, and possibly something more arcane later in the game. Like I said, it's bland- not much to comment on other than ?it exists?.

But let me get to more positive things. Phantasy Star Universe is by far the best looking Phantasy Star game yet. Everything in the game (especially on the 360 and PC) looks beautiful, fitting the pseudo-anime style that it attempts to emulate so hard. The music, though also rather anime-based and generic, fits rather well, and does not get in the way of the gameplay itself. So, that is at least one notch in Sega's belt- they did a fairly good job of taking what is essentially a five year old game and making it something new.

The game, as I have mentioned above, is based upon two modes- offline (along with an ?Extra? mode) and online. Offline, of course, is slightly lackluster- and of course, remarkably unoriginal. Online, however, is something of a different story. Allowing you to create your own character from the outset, Phantasy Star Universe excels in taking what is a decent game engine and allowing tons of people to play it in what is essentially a mad grab at levels. Of course, the down side to this wonderful mode is that you have to pay- a sizable fee around the same amount of money you would dole out for World of Warcraft or Everquest II. And this game doesn't have scantily clad women, so one point off for it already.



One thing PSO fans will find irritating about this game is that, as I have been told, the ?instant fun? application of the old game is not here. Both the online and offline modes tend to be rather bland and somewhat generic, and attaining money and high levels tends to be more of a grind than anything else. That really blows, considering how fun a MMORPG would be if it truly featured real time battle with an RPG backbone. That doesn't really happen, especially when a lot of the time you spend in the game is spent dealing with generic enemies, selling items, or synthesizing items to get better ones. Obviously, this is because in the future, the only way to kill something faster is to spend time dicking around with a tiny robot in your bedroom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't absolutely hate PSU. In fact, I think that Phantasy Star Universe is something of a nice vacation from the generic MMORPGs on the market today. However, certain features of PSU, like the ridiculous storyline and repetitive battle system, make it slightly less of a good buy. Hardcore PSO fans will, of course, find plenty to complain about with this game, especially since Sega did such a strange number of modifications to the otherwise decent engine. Long story short- this game is not for everyone, but I do imagine those looking for a decent easy-to-use RPG will find their niche with Sega. The price may be a little hefty for those with small wallets, but that's little price to pay for some interesting MMO gaming.

3.5 star(s) out of 5

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