Hopefully we haven't seen the final Phantasy - August 26th, 1999 - Drew Cosner
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not neccessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. Hey, your soul just escaped. Don't say I didn't warn you.
It seems I may have made a slight miscalculation. First of all, an explanation. The Master System bombed. Horribly. And the Genesis was known mainly for its action and sports games. As such, Sega has never exactly been known as an RPG powerhouse. However, Sega did have two noteable RPG series; the Shining Force series and the Phantasy Star series.
Unfortunately, the Master System was relegated to a distant second during the days of the 8 bit, and the most RPG fanatics flocked to the SNES during the 16 bit era. Because of this the Phantasy Star series fell mostly to the wayside, never receiving the success and recognition it deserved. because of this, those who have actually played all four games in the series are something of a rare breed. But that didn't stop me from going on ahead and making Phantasy Star the topic for today's column.
| What is this "Phantasy Star" of which you speak? |
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Phantasy Star? Never heard of it, what is it?
-TGCid
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Sadly, this sums up a large portion of the responses I received. It's a shame that so few are familiar with such an excellent series. But let's not spend too much time woolgathering, it's about time to hear from those who have played the game. You know, just to make things a bit more interesting and all.
| PS2, and I don't mean the next Playstation |
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Oh sure, we've all had our Final Fantasys and Dragon Warriors. But when
I think back to the fondest experience of my young RPG games... when I
think back to what made me the RPG fan I am today, I can name but one
game: Phantasy Star 2.
What made Phantasy Star 2 so memorable was just how advanced it was for
its time. Instead of being set in some fantasy past, it was instead set
in the far future; and this meant more than window dressing. Weapons,
items, background music and gameplay were all effected by the setting;
the game FELT like it was set in the future, a task RPGs even today
often have trouble accomplishing. Indeed, I remember crawling through
one of its grueling dungeons with the techno pipes scrolling past my
vision as I walked forward. But this isn't the REAL reason I like
phantasy star 2. The real reason was the characterization and plot.
Perhaps by today's standards it wasn't much, but even from the beginning
of the game the members of your party talked to each other and had
distinct personalities, even outside of combat. This was a far cry from
the 'do it yourself' heros of FF1 or the 'Thou hast been pimp-slapped
for 3 damage' swordsmen of DQ fame. And when FF7 came out, what were
people saying? [SPOILER... for those who've been gaming under a rock
for the past 8 years] That Aerith's death was so unique, only one major
game had that event occur before. That game was PS2, and the character
was Nei; a character one grew to like in a time when most characters
were cardboard cutouts you strapped new swords and armor to
periodically.
Phantasy Star 2 wasn't perfect, and it may not have been revolutionary
either. But it had a story that, while certainly no Xenogears,
possessed a level of maturity unseen before then and a cast that I can
remember to this day. It's that kind of memorable experience that makes
Phantasy Star 2 one of my favorite RPGs of all time.
-Jason Morrow
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The Phantasy Star series had a way of putting all of the pieces together properly. Certainly, by today's standards, the game's merits may have been improved upon and eclipsed, but the careful attention payed to mood and setting remains unsurpassed by most RPGs even to this day.
| You don't belong in this world! |
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This is really pissing me off, where was : "Tribute? You steal men's souls!"
from?
-<|>R+0|\| ZERO
PS- Great site, it kicks!
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That line comes from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. It's one of the things Richter says to Dracula upon meeting up with him in the very beginning of the game.
P.S. It also scratches and bites. It has nothing against fighting dirty.
| Very much so. |
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Drew,
Do you think I'm sexy? ^_^
Thank You Drive Thru,
-Tedman
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Having never seen what you look like, I would have been inclined to say "no." But that was before I saw that sexy emoticon. I'm putty in your hands. Careful, though. Some little kid blew his nose in me.
| Uh oh... |
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My favorite PS? The original dude. It was my first RPG, I still haven't clocked it, and
Myau still kicks a chocobos butt any day of the week.
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I never know what to do with these letters that speak for themselves. I know you've come to expect a witty or insightful reply to every letter I post, but sometimes that's just not possible. Like right now, for example. So instead, here's a picture of a paranoid Theodore Roosevelt.
| Makin' bacon |
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Which Phantasy Star is my favorite? Ah, that's an easy one - PSIV. Why? Because a couple of weeks ago I found a copy, complete in its box with instructions, at a flea market for $6 and sold it on eBay for $26. Any game that yields a 450% profit is good in my book.
As far as the games themselves, I really can't say much as I've never played 'em. Errr... Sega sucks, right?
-J. Parish
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You have my commendations for finding a way to turn a profit with your hobby, Mister Parish. Now you can buy that pogo stick you've had your eye on all week.
| Return of the Dark Force? |
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What I'd like to see most in a new installment of Phantasy Star- A cool
villain. Usually in the games, the villain is either Dark Force or something
related to Dark Force except for PS2, my personal favorite in the series.
PS2 is the least linear and has the best plot of the series IMO. While Dark
Force was in the game, the main villains didn't have anything to do with Dark
Force and I'd like to see something about them in a new PS.
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Personally, I'm interested to see whether or not Sega decides to keep continuity with the first four games. That doesn't seem to be the trend anymore, and Sega may want to start with a clean slate, so to speak, since many are unfamiliar with the original games. Assuming there ever is another sequel, of course.
| Return of the Dark Force? |
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Dear Drew...
You truly are the Ayatollah of Rock n' Rollah...
I'd shoot my dog for another installment of Phantasy Star! Two things I'd
like to see most are the return of the 3-d mazes (enough with the overhead
stuff already...) and most importantly of all INTUITIVE SPELL NAMES!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love those games but I get really tired of trying to
figure out what Res, Nifoi and Krunky are supposed to do... I mean if it's
a spell that heals ya' then shouldn't it be called... Oh I don't know...
HEAL!?!?
I've always thought PS number one was the best installment of the
series... It was one of the first RPG's, there were THREE planets to scoot
around between, if you didn't want to fight you could try to negotiate with
your enemies, and best of all... (drum roll please)... Those glorious 8-bit
3-D Mazes!!!
-Ylerecnis, Root!
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You have to commend Phantasy Star. Not only was it the first console RPG released in North America, it was also one of the absolute first games to emply the first person perspective. That's right, first person perspective on an 8 bit console.
I find that a lot more interesting than I probably should.
Closing Comments
Tomorrow is Free Topic Friday, so have fun. I'm out of here for now. Peace.
-Drew Cosner, gone as soon as he came
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