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Phantasy Star Online Review
Mark Simons
00/12/0000
Phantasy Star Online takes RPG's to the next level.
An online console role-playing game that can be played by anyone in the world without having to worry about language or performance issues such as lag. Surely just a lovely dream, well not any more. Phantasy Star Online is here and it is brilliant showing that you do not need broadband to have great online gaming, and that it is possible to have an effective worldwide gaming network that is fast, friendly and above all, fun.
Phantasy Star Online is not a traditional console RPG as you have probably gathered, it does not feature the intensely story driven epic one player mode that is the mainstay of console RPG favourites. Rather the game opts for a Diablo style of play where you take on small quests either on or off line to progress through the game. This does have the effect of making the one-player mode less than compelling, but it is still very good fun, just donāt buy the game expecting a plot and game of Final Fantasy VIIās epic proportions. Rather the one-player mode is a training ground for you to figure things out before you go online as this is the main area, and the whole point of the game.
There is a story behind the game, which gets explained during a lavishly rendered intro, in a nutshell a planet is set to be colonised because the species home planet is about to die. A suitable planet is found, its name is Ragol and a ship called Pioneer One is sent out to establish a preliminary base. However all contact is lost with Pioneer One. A few years later the main ship called Pioneer Two sets out and when they arrive at Ragol they find it is populated with monsters and there is no sign of the colonists. Essentially this gives you the excuse to go round on various little sub-quests for people and of course you get to fight these monsters as well as finding out more about the plot as you go through these missions.
So the one-player mode is less than that of other console RPGs, but then this isnāt like other console RPGs it is meant to be experience online, and take our word for it when we say that if you donāt play this online you are missing out, big time. When you first dial-up and choose your ship and room it is really hard to notice that you are playing online, lag is most definitely not an issue with this game. Some major credit has to go to Sega for their worldwide gaming network, which is wonderfully demonstrated by this game. Now, you may be wondering how you communicate with all these people from different countries, the honest answer is you speak to them in your native tongue. Sonic Team have come up with a brilliant system whereby you can choose pre-set phrases that are divided up into various categories and then when you select one it automatically appears in the other userās native language. This means you can have a team consisting of Japanese, English, French and German players and they will all be communicating with each other with no problems. A simple idea that is wonderfully implementing meaning that this is truly a worldwide game. You do not have to use this communications system, it doesnāt cover everything, so if you are playing with people from your own country often it is highly recommended that you have a Dreamcast keyboard to communicate.
In terms of structure the multi-player mode is very similar to the one-player game, except that you play as a team, co-operatively ā“ no player killing here ā“ and with the three different character classes and the three species all complementing each other wonderfully everyone has different rolls. Co-operating with each other to fight your way through a dungeon and beating a boss is a very satisfying experience and something that is completely new to console owners. One thing of note is that the online community is very friendly, people are willing to trade items and help lesser players to level up and this really helps with your enjoyment of the game.
Exploration and fighting are a large part of Phantasy Star Online, well, ok pretty much the whole game, but there is also the evolution of your character, weapon development and most importantly the Mags to worry about. Mags are little robotic creatures ā“ for want of a better description ā“ that follow your character about and they will help you out near death as well as unleashing some devastating photon blasts ā“ think the summon spells in the Final Fantasy games. These little creatures are like another character you need to feed them every few minutes, and what you feed them affects their characteristics, how strong they are etc etc. This allows you to build up a Mag how you want, and you can even trade them with other characters as you can have multiple Mags. This essentially a whole little trading game within the Phantasy Star World, in a word brilliant.
Explaining the genius and scarily addictive quality of Phantasy Star Online is tricky indeed, it is something that needs to be played and experienced and I would recommend this to any Dreamcast owner. The gorgeous graphics and top quality sound effects and music help, but the sheer pleasure out of playing online is the aspect of the game that keeps this tired reviewer coming back to ājust get to the next levelā or to ādo the next questā.
There are no major problems with the implementation of the game the human factor is what makes or breaks the online game. If someone robs your corpse after you die it is a really disheartening experience, but the good, friendly people on the Phantasy Star Online network far outweigh the thieves and ungrateful little urchins. Overall Phantasy Star Online is a must have title for Dreamcast owners who want to finally experience a fully online and truly global game.
Comments
Incidentally PAL gamers who are worried of paying huge phone bill costs should note that if you can input your own internet service provider details, of which there are various means, you can actually play Phantasy Star Online using a flat-rate ISP, which should take the sting out of playing online.
