Phantasy Star II (XBLA) – Review – Xbox 360

I present to you what is soon to become a recurring feature here at LMG: A segment where our very own Brian Farrell a.k.a. Daeryoon (Budget Gamer and XBLA game connoisseur), will be covering the latest and greatest in 400 MS point games offered on the XBLMP. Games covered will range from old-school classics to new-school hits, but most are classic games that everyone can enjoy and find value in playing.  So without further adieu, here is Brian’s review of Phantasy Star II.

STORY

This was the first SEGA Genesis game in the Phantasy Star series. This installment is more of a traditional turn-based RPG than the first Phantasy Star for the Master console. PS II takes place in a futuristic universe, in the Algo solar system, where humans live in colonies spread across three different planets. Order is maintained across the worlds by a massive supercomputer called the Mother Brain, which controls the environment and climate. The story opens with a young man named Rolf who’s being plagued by nightmares, and his half-human, half-monster friend, Nei. Rolf is a hunter who is given a job to find out why the Mother Brain has allowed the population of dangerous monsters roaming the planets to grow unchecked. Nei is his lifelong friend, and will not let him go anywhere without her.

PS II begins with a perfectly traditional RPG style: in the beginning, Rolf and Nei’s leave home, entering into the standard role-playing progression of traveling from one town to the next, fighting progressively harder random monster battles, leveling up and acquiring new party members along the way. Those who’ve played any other RPG from the 8-bit or 16-bit generations should know what to expect, as most of the game’s core elements are similar to other popular franchises from this generation, like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. The Phantasy Star series sets itself apart with its complex and lengthy dungeons, degree of difficulty, and engaging storyline. Each character has his/her own personality, motives, and strengths/weaknesses. From this, were born many hintbooks, strategy guides, and maps which can be found online.

GAMEPLAY

While the story is fantastic and the game is a classic, the gameplay can be complicated for those who did not play in on the SEGA Genesis. The characters begin with the option of FGHT (fight), which automatically handles your last commands given for each character, whether to defend, attack with weapon, or use techniques. The other option is STGY (strategy), which lets you choose which option to prioritize first and last and takes more time. You begin with only two characters, Rolf and Nei. As you visit each new town, you must return to your starting house to get them in your party. Eventually you get to choose up to four at a time, leaving the others at your house. As always, it’s best to have two strong weapon attackers, one who can use aggressive techniques (or items that create techniques later in the game), and one who can heal and support.

Each enemy has a weakness to a particular technique or weapon attack. Each enemy is also either bio-based or machine-based, which makes choosing techniques more difficult, since some only work on machines and others only on biological enemies. Figuring out which technique to use and when to use it is very difficult, since every technique in the game is limited to that annoying five-character limit, and is in another language. For example, FOI is Fire 1, NAFOI is Fire 2, and GIFOI is Fire 3. All techniques also follow that pattern of the name is the lowest level, NA-name is second, and GI-name is the highest level. This makes technique-based characters hard to use until you know what does what or have a guide handy at all times.

In addition to technique difficulties, you also have to find which armor and weapons a character can use by trying to buy it for them. Luckily, the guy tells you if they wear it or not, but you don’t know until you try (I can’t emphasize enough about a strategy guide for weapons, armor, and techniques). You are also “forced” to spend time around each town fighting random and tedious encounters to get enough Meseta (money) to buy the new items and experience to get more levels, which you NEED to get through the next dungeon. The many challenges of the game are what make it fun, and it is also a time commitment.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Time-consuming 200 earned for completing the game. Like most RPGs, all 12 achievements are obtained during one normal playthrough.

SUMMARY

In the end, PS II is an impressive example of classic, old-school role-playing. Its most notable positive traits are its unique setting and theme – especially since it’s the first and only Phantasy Star game to come to XBLA so far – and its epic overall length for the price. You’ll get a lot of lasting value for your investment of 400 Points, as this game could take you 30 hours or more to complete. The negatives that might keep you from completing it could be the considerable level of challenge and the potential for tedium. Only buy PS II if you know you’ll be prepared to spend a significant amount of time taking care of old-school RPG “chores” like leveling up and money-hunting with random battles. Without that willingness, your experience going after Mother Brain might not last very long.

Score: 7 out of 10

Written by Brian Farrell

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