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The only GameCube online play you'll get for a long time...
November 25, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Osei Tyson
The award-winning Phantasy Star Online sparked a worldwide gaming phenomenon. Now the world of PSO is coming to Nintendo GameCube. Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II will be the first online game available on the GameCube, and will feature all-new gameplay modes and exclusive new content. New character classes, weapons, enemies, items and quests are only a portion of the new content waiting to be discovered. The evolution of the original revolutionary gaming experience continues. Phantasy Star Online is more than just a game to some, and when the GameCube version of Episode I (that’s the original Dreamcast game and the recent ‘version 2’ release) arrives, flanked by the brand, spanking new Episode II, it could help the Cube to sail into better days of Online gaming.
For those who are unfamiliar with PSO, it is an offline/online Action/RPG that has thousands of gamers hopelessly addicted to it's unique battle system and character development scheme. At it's height on the Dreamcast, SegaNet claimed more than 100,000 users online at once. Currently, it is the only online game available for the GameCube. And for what it lacks in quantity, the GameCube sure has the quality down cold with this title.
In PSO, you select a character type at the beginning of a game, and as gameplay progresses, you develop that character according to your own strategy. With twelve basic characters each having dozens of customization options, it is highly probable that your character will be unique in appearance and ability. This character is the same whether you play offline alone, offline with up to three other players, or online with up to three other players. All items, weapons, and power-ups are carried both on and offline. The sheer variety of weapons and power-ups are incredible, and that is part of the addictive nature of PSO. Each time you play, though you may be very familiar with a stage layout, you never know what rare item you'll come across.
The twelve character types are divided into three classes. Hunters are masters of close range combat with blade type weapons. Rangers are best with projectile weapons like rifles and shotguns. Forces are the magicians of the game, with Techniques (spells) being their stock and trade. Within those three classes, there is some crossover among the twelve base character types, and each type requires a different skill set to be successful. Because of this, the replay value of PSO is off the scale. Most veteran PSO players have several characters they've developed, and it is not unusual to come across a PSO gamer that has hundreds of hours invested in a single character. The same characters are used in both Episode One and Episode Two.
PSO has four difficulty levels. You automatically start out in Normal mode, and you must defeat all of the level bosses in that mode to unlock the next level of difficulty. The hardest mode, known as Ultimate, is notoriously difficult, causing many veteran gamers to give up in frustration. In Multiplayer mode, which is split screen offline and full screen online, a high degree of cooperation is necessary to unlock various puzzles and treasure rooms. Like most Action/RPGs, PSO is a stage/level based game, but with a twist. Each stage can be one of several randomly selected layouts, with some layouts only accessible through online play. Several dozen quests and subplots ship with the game, with more available via download. In addition, there are a couple of player vs. player modes for both online and offline play.
Episode One is more than a straight Dreamcast port. The entire game dynamic has been completely reworked to accommodate the new gameplay in Episode Two. For instance, the amount of meseta (money) you find from defeated monsters and treasure boxes is only a fraction of what it was before, and many recovery items are much more expensive, which makes it harder to buy them at the stores in town. I don't want to spoil things for anyone, but I will say that you should expect some big surprises when playing the quests, even if you are very familiar with them. The enhancements evident in Episode One are subtle for the most part, but become more noticeable as you proceed through the levels. It's worth playing through Episode One no matter how many times you've gone through the Dreamcast version. Episode Two features all new stages and levels. It also has many new monsters. Episode One begins with the Principal, but Episode two starts with the Lab. Here, there is an all new Pioneer Two (the safe-zone city where you manage your items and buy necessities) with new shops, a new hospital, and new NPCs. Items in your bank are available to you in both Pioneer Twos. There are Episode Two-specific quests as well. Episode Two also features entirely new gameplay elements, and though I don't want to be a spoiler, there is one item that deserves mention, and that is the many mazes you will encounter. Entirely different combat strategies have to be developed because some areas in Episode Two require very close-in fighting. The manual recommends that you be experienced in Episode One before attempting the new areas, and I have to agree. If you take a low level character into Episode Two's dungeons, you will be dead meat right away.
Currently costing $8.95 per month. PSO takes a chunk outta your wallet. But you don’t need to play online for this one. The new game dynamic makes single player mode much more fun, and the offline split screen multiplayer mode is awesome. One item of note, if you want to save your offline multiplayer characters, you will need TWO memory cards. When playing offline in multiplayer mode, you must temporarily 'import' the second through fourth characters from the memory card in Slot B. You cannot play multiplayer with characters from the same memory card. I'm guessing that this is a security measure. Anyway, PSO only auto-recognizes the memory card in Slot A, so plan accordingly. Four characters can be saved to one card.
For those who are unfamiliar with PSO, it is an offline/online Action/RPG that has thousands of gamers hopelessly addicted to it's unique battle system and character development scheme. At it's height on the Dreamcast, SegaNet claimed more than 100,000 users online at once. Currently, it is the only online game available for the GameCube. And for what it lacks in quantity, the GameCube sure has the quality down cold with this title.
In PSO, you select a character type at the beginning of a game, and as gameplay progresses, you develop that character according to your own strategy. With twelve basic characters each having dozens of customization options, it is highly probable that your character will be unique in appearance and ability. This character is the same whether you play offline alone, offline with up to three other players, or online with up to three other players. All items, weapons, and power-ups are carried both on and offline. The sheer variety of weapons and power-ups are incredible, and that is part of the addictive nature of PSO. Each time you play, though you may be very familiar with a stage layout, you never know what rare item you'll come across.
The twelve character types are divided into three classes. Hunters are masters of close range combat with blade type weapons. Rangers are best with projectile weapons like rifles and shotguns. Forces are the magicians of the game, with Techniques (spells) being their stock and trade. Within those three classes, there is some crossover among the twelve base character types, and each type requires a different skill set to be successful. Because of this, the replay value of PSO is off the scale. Most veteran PSO players have several characters they've developed, and it is not unusual to come across a PSO gamer that has hundreds of hours invested in a single character. The same characters are used in both Episode One and Episode Two.
PSO has four difficulty levels. You automatically start out in Normal mode, and you must defeat all of the level bosses in that mode to unlock the next level of difficulty. The hardest mode, known as Ultimate, is notoriously difficult, causing many veteran gamers to give up in frustration. In Multiplayer mode, which is split screen offline and full screen online, a high degree of cooperation is necessary to unlock various puzzles and treasure rooms. Like most Action/RPGs, PSO is a stage/level based game, but with a twist. Each stage can be one of several randomly selected layouts, with some layouts only accessible through online play. Several dozen quests and subplots ship with the game, with more available via download. In addition, there are a couple of player vs. player modes for both online and offline play.
Episode One is more than a straight Dreamcast port. The entire game dynamic has been completely reworked to accommodate the new gameplay in Episode Two. For instance, the amount of meseta (money) you find from defeated monsters and treasure boxes is only a fraction of what it was before, and many recovery items are much more expensive, which makes it harder to buy them at the stores in town. I don't want to spoil things for anyone, but I will say that you should expect some big surprises when playing the quests, even if you are very familiar with them. The enhancements evident in Episode One are subtle for the most part, but become more noticeable as you proceed through the levels. It's worth playing through Episode One no matter how many times you've gone through the Dreamcast version. Episode Two features all new stages and levels. It also has many new monsters. Episode One begins with the Principal, but Episode two starts with the Lab. Here, there is an all new Pioneer Two (the safe-zone city where you manage your items and buy necessities) with new shops, a new hospital, and new NPCs. Items in your bank are available to you in both Pioneer Twos. There are Episode Two-specific quests as well. Episode Two also features entirely new gameplay elements, and though I don't want to be a spoiler, there is one item that deserves mention, and that is the many mazes you will encounter. Entirely different combat strategies have to be developed because some areas in Episode Two require very close-in fighting. The manual recommends that you be experienced in Episode One before attempting the new areas, and I have to agree. If you take a low level character into Episode Two's dungeons, you will be dead meat right away.
Currently costing $8.95 per month. PSO takes a chunk outta your wallet. But you don’t need to play online for this one. The new game dynamic makes single player mode much more fun, and the offline split screen multiplayer mode is awesome. One item of note, if you want to save your offline multiplayer characters, you will need TWO memory cards. When playing offline in multiplayer mode, you must temporarily 'import' the second through fourth characters from the memory card in Slot B. You cannot play multiplayer with characters from the same memory card. I'm guessing that this is a security measure. Anyway, PSO only auto-recognizes the memory card in Slot A, so plan accordingly. Four characters can be saved to one card.
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February 8, 2010
