E3: Phantasy Star Online impressions

[05.16.00] » Online gaming was never like this.

   Sega had a unique presentation for Phantasy Star Online; a video wall with four high-definition televisions demoing the game. At first glance, it seems that all four screens are playing the same gameplay movie, but further inspection shows something incredible: they are showing the same game from four different characters' perspectives. In fact, one of the players is purportedly playing from Japan, so all the dialogue on their screen is in Japanese--and everything he says appears to the other players as English. If PSO can break down linguistic barriers to the degree this demo suggests, it will truly be an industry first.

   The demonstration movie revolved around meeting up, agreeing on a quest, fighting some enemies, and eventually assaulting a large boss-like dragon. An emphasis was placed throughout on communication and teamwork; at one point, two characters had to work together to push a large obstacle out of the way. The title is still a long ways off, but an ambitious multiplayer RPG that doesn't look just like Everquest is very promising.