 |
|
Final Score: |
|
|
|
Second Opinion: Phantasy Star Online (DC)
by Christian Nutt
Unlike my esteemed colleague Stephen, I am not only a huge fan of traditional console RPGs (Skies of Arcadia was my most memorable gaming experience of 2000), but an obsessive fan of the Phantasy Star series. It's one of the most important gaming series of my life. Not being a PC gamer at all, I met the idea of an online RPG (which, to my eye, replaces a strong character-based narrative with a chat room) with trepidation. I wasn't optimistic about PSO's chances to satisfy me. Endless hack-and-slash battles replacing the trials of Alis, Rolf, Nei, Chaz, and Rika didn't sound promising.
I was right, and I was wrong. As a Phantasy Star game, it flat-out does not do the job, failing to bring me engaging characters or even within spitting distance of the Algol system. It eschews narrative in favor of fighting and chatting. I was wrong not about the game's content, but how engaging it is. I have never experienced anything like PSO, and I can't stop playing it. The great thing is, once the novelty wears off you're still left with an excellent game. Initially I was wowed by the fact that I was playing an online RPG for the first time. Now, when that is merely a matter of course, I still enjoy myself.
Excellent, but not Perfect
Phantasy Star Online has so much going right for it that it's easy to overlook its flaws. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay is intuitive, and while endless rooms of enemies can be tedious, the game's excellent sense of teamwork and the goal to raise just one more level keep the momentum high.
That being said, there simply aren't enough dungeons. Forest, Cave, Mine and Ruins -- that's all you get. Sure, they?re long and they're beautiful. Regardless, there just isn't enough game here. I've lost count of how many times I've slain the damn dragon at the end of the Forest. The reason I keep playing is the other players: the international gamers I meet, and our commitment to each other -- to teamwork.
Phantasy Star Online may never have set the pitter-patter of a "real" Phantasy Star in my heart, but it's an engaging experience nonetheless. While PSO isn't flawless, it's a great game and a simply amazing first effort, especially for a developer more known for mascot platformers and quirky action games. The next online console RPG will have a lot to live up to, in my eyes, when it finally comes.
| 
