Phantasy Star Series

[Blinge]

Well I've finished III. Went down the Sean route.

Overall it sucks compared to I and II but on its own merit it's not that bad.

spoilers for II and III:

Spoiler

I would've preferred it if Dark Force wasn't the big bad at the end, but rather using his influence to create more powerful minions. I'm thinking of II in which you fight him as a lesser boss before Mother Brain.

The idea of little peoples battling for 1,000 years on their flying space domes until most of them lose the knowledge of what their world actually is, is a pretty cool concept!
I loaded a state for the Crys route but it seems exactly the same endgame as Sean's, so I'll go back and try Nial I guess.

Edit: I was just listening to some Phantasy Star remixes on youtube, then scrolled down and got fucking spoiled for PSIV.
for fucks sake. When will I learn to NEVER READ COMMENTS.
it said:

Spoiler

I actually cried when Alys died.

urgh. what a little phagget. I'd type an abusive comment but there may be other spoilerz lurking there

[BryanM]

Nah they just go to another dimension. Vegeta brings them back with the dragon balls.

[Mischief Maker]

Oh dear god don't go playing through any of the other generations, they all play the same and the differences are impossibly minor. Just move on to Phantasy Star 4. I rag on it for the awful anime personalities and easy maps, but it's a zillion times better than Phantasy Star 3!

[Squire Grooktook]

My solution to accidentally reading a spoiler like that is to prolong playing the game for a few months, until I forget what the name is. A lot easier with games where people have funky/hard to pronounce names!

[Blinge]

Ah man.. that's a hard name to forget.. And I have a good memory. Here are the remixes btw, they may provide some joy.

Gotcha Mischief.. I'll have a look at Nial till I get bored, then leave the 3rd gen out.

Looking forward to 4 though, it's about two games away on my list.

[Edmond Dantes]

If anyone is planning to play Phantasy Star 1, I recommend using this re-translation patch. The official translation is atrocious and this one makes things a lot better.

Ehm, I've been playing PS1 recently and I see nothing "atrocious" about the translation. Care to fill me in?

To me, "atrocious" would mean that it makes the game absolutely unplayable in the sense that clues or directions for finding your next objective get muddled or wind up making no sense. I've heard that one of the characters got a gender-flip, but to me that's minor (and anyway it makes more sense for Noah to be a girl). As far as the hints and advice you get, you still get plenty to go on for finishing the game. Unless it was all a lot _more_ helpful in the original.

[Heavy Viper]

The official translation was serviceable and certainly didn't make the game unplayable, but it was also pretty simplistic and limited. Healing items turned into fast food, character names switched up for whatever reasons, and overall it just has a really robotic and stilted tone (though since the game was originally in katakana I guess you could say it's faithful in that regard :S ).

Having played through the PS1 fan translation recently, I can definitely recommend it. It just lets the story shine a bit brighter and sticks closer to the original text, and it's quite well presented, too. Hell, you can even switch between the PSG and FM soundtracks by pressing Start at the title screen!

[Edmond Dantes]

Is it at all possible to play this re-translation on a real Sega Master System (or a Genesis with a Power Base Converter)?

[Heavy Viper]

Certainly! I played through it on my Mega Drive using a flashcart, in fact (a Mega Everdrive, specifically). The soundtrack switching won't work unless you're using a Japanese Master System, though.

[BrianC]

Certainly! I played through it on my Mega Drive using a flashcart, in fact (a Mega Everdrive, specifically). The soundtrack switching won't work unless you're using a Japanese Master System, though.

More specifically, the stock Genesis can't play SMS FM sound, though it's possible to make an adapter with a SMS FM chip or mod a US SMS to include FM. Mark III needs a separate adapter for FM.

Aside from the somewhat weak translation, the US SMS Phantasy Star is also one of the few US/EU games to remove FM sound (The only other game to remove FM is Ys. Thankfully, the unofficial PS1 re-translation keeps FM sound intact). I have both the US and JP carts (found a good deal on ebay on SMS with a bunch of carts included) and I prefer the FM sound, though I still play the US one since it's in English (though if I had a flash cart, I would play the re-translation).

[IrishNinja]

If anyone is planning to play Phantasy Star 1, I recommend using this re-translation patch. The official translation is atrocious and this one makes things a lot better.

literally just tried out the first hour or so with it, and damn the difference is night & day. makes me wanna see how very different 2 was as well.

[Edmond Dantes]

It's too bad there's apparently not a re-translation of 3 and 4. I know everyone hates 3 but come on, it was apparently deeply altered in translation as well.

[BryanM]

That PS4 thread...

Every single time I look at the topic list, my arm lunges on its own toward it, hungry for some more Phantasy Star 4 talk. And then, a dull pang of disappointment as I stop myself.

I really liked the per-skill charge system it had. It was kind of like the Vancianish thing Final Fantasy 1 and 3 had going on. A game that only used that (and not MP, like PS4 still uses) could be pretty cool.

One of the problems with jRPGs is the old Dragon Quest resource system. Old skills become completely obsolete and there's a point were they just kind of pile up in a garbage heap. A charge system lets you have strong skills like Heal Party (4x as strong as Heal) without giving you an endless supply of Heal Party where all big fights become "is using Heal Party every turn enough to keep you alive" being what decides victory and failure.

Old skills become completely obsolete and there's a point were they just kind of pile up in a garbage heap.

Really gaining a new skill should never feel like a 100% "who cares" and there should never be a point where there is no new skills to acquire. jRPGs always feel finished by the time I get to that point.

[Edmond Dantes]

That PS4 thread...

Every single time I look at the topic list, my arm lunges on its own toward it, hungry for some more Phantasy Star 4 talk. And then, a dull pang of disappointment as I stop myself.

I remember feeling that as far back as the PS2...

Not to mention when you're on ebay searching for PS/2 as in the kind of plug used for mice and keyboards that don't use USB.

.... and now I own all four of the main Phantasy Star games, with 1 having the box and manual. Funny how that happened... bought it at a flea market from an old woman who was just selling her son's stuff and didn't know it was worth anything. Only wanted $3 for it.

I wish I could get the box, manual, maps and strategy guide for the second one... I used to own it in that state, but stupidly sold it, and now those components are worth more than the game itself. As for the fourth Phantasy Star, I never got to play that one in my younger years, so it's already a new experience. I only played a little ways but I'm already impressed with the delivery. The cutscenes make me feel like I'm reading a manga. Not just because Rune is the Thousand Master, either.

[Xyga]

box, manual, maps and strategy guide for the second one...

Got those in fantastic shape many years ago. Just a dent on the Hint Book's cover, everything else pretty much perfect.
Think about how many of those have pencil marks and notes all over and you can imagine how rare untainted complete sets are.
Funny thing is people sell the Hint Book alone for more than the whole package (!?)

[IrishNinja]

It's too bad there's apparently not a re-translation of 3 and 4. I know everyone hates 3 but come on, it was apparently deeply altered in translation as well.

yeah? how dramatic were the changes there? not my favorite of the series, but i'd be interested

[Xyga]

Decided to test how far I could take the Slugmess/Blastoid milking in PSII yesterday.
I've made about 10,000MST per slug fight before doing a mistake and ending it.
And about 7000 EXP per blast fight.

The problem is how boring and repetitive yet requiring constant attention it is.
In theory you can kill over hundreds in a single fight, but after about 15~20 minutes max it's too hard not to lose focus (didn't actually check, this is just how long it felt).
Possibly more annoying than stealing with Shir.

In the end it's more interesting to go for cash (slug) more than EXP (blast), plus Roron is easier to access, sooner, and slugs give EXP too after all.

[Blinge]

Hm.. Is this in the megadrive version? Why are you grinding?

I look back very fondly on PSII, and do regret looking up maps to get through some dungeons now instead of drawing my own. Ah well.

Actually I started PSIV a couple of months back but fell off for some reason. I just met this game's android girl.
Of course, it's really good. I love how the monster animations sync up with the battle music, making every battle have a great sense of rhythm; it doesn't feel so grindy as other JRPGs so far, because of this alone.

[Xyga]

Yup. I was wondering about the usefulness of it. From what I've seen it's more of a very quick grinding you only have to do a few times in order to make the dough for buying the most powerful equipment for all characters you plan to use (if you plan to use more than 4).
I reorganize the party depending on where I go and practically never buy dimates/trimates, any character is mostly ready to face the hardships anytime.
So this sudden wealth kind of speeds up the game in this case.
If only we didn't have to go back to Rolf's house to switch!

PSIV...in my eyes is clearly better but not quite as immersive as PSII, it's a paradox though understandable, you know, the way some 'old school' titles made up for limited resources using subtle things to keep the player hooked, the art of using little but well and leave the rest to the player's imagination. :p

[Mischief Maker]

PSIV...in my eyes is clearly better but not quite as immersive as PSII, it's a paradox though understandable, you know, the way some 'old school' titles made up for limited resources using subtle things to keep the player hooked, the art of using little but well and leave the rest to the player's imagination. :p

Yes. When I played PSII as a kid I filled in the blanks with the characters to make them all competent badasses with dark histories. Then I played PSIV and everyone was SO WACKY KERAZY that I finished it once then sold it in disgust.

Another angle to PSII's immersion is how much more it demands of the player. Besides the characters, I was really disappointed by PSIV's Final-Fantasy-simple dungeons. I still say the biggest mistake they made with PSII was including the hint book with maps of every single dungeon. If you're trying to figure them out on your own, you will collect all the XP and Mesetas you need without any dedicated grinding time.

[Xyga]

I still say the biggest mistake they made with PSII was including the hint book with maps of every single dungeon. If you're trying to figure them out on your own, you will collect all the XP and Mesetas you need without any dedicated grinding time.

I'll always be reserved on that topic, because some like the final ones are so fucking hard without the maps, I mean hard is good, but there's a fine line between big challenge and cringefest. Even though that was the good old school days I think there is a limit to what people can take before microwaving the cartridge, even us hardcore 20th century kids. :p

[Blinge]

Yes. When I played PSII as a kid I filled in the blanks with the characters to make them all competent badasses with dark histories.

Alas, playing it as a miserable crusty adult, this didn't really happen for me. I did appreciate the grim-ass atmosphere though.
There were some moments that made me go holy shit. Like unearthing a certain cyro-frozen entity.

[Xyga]

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2867/

This patch of Phantasy Star II doubles the characters’ walking speed.

Nice.

[Fudoh]

nice indeed. This was officially done for the PS2 Sega Ages versions as well.

[EmperorIng]

I am starting to play the translation patch of the first game and am having a good time. It's a tough one.

GaijinPunch praised the game's nonlinearity, which if that's true could prove to be great... or not! for first time players.

I hope I can move to PSII after I close the deal on the first game. That'll take a while though.

[Shoryukev]

I've been really wanting to dive into this series (I have #2 & 4 for my genesis), but I want to start from the beginning and haven't found a good deal on the first game yet. I used to play PS-Online on my original xbox all the time (back when Xbox Live for that system existed), but I want to check out the original games. I played through most of #4 when I was a kid, but I don't really remember any of it.

After skimming this thread, seems like my money might be better spent on a flash-cart instead so I can play a translation patched version of the SMS game. There are other games hard to find in the US for the master system I want to play anyways (star wars, streets of rage 2, etc.). I've imported a few games from the UK for my SMS, but there are still many more I want to try out

For someone unfamiliar with the first game, do you recommend printing out maps of all the dungeons so I won't get lost.....or would doing that ruin the experience and make it too predictable? I can definitely see myself getting lost, so the thought crossed my mind

[Blinge]

What I did for most of it was draw my own, and that turned out to be really fun. Graph paper recommended: trying to have a system for exactly how long a step makes on plain paper was a pain.

The last few dungeons I got bored and switched to online maps, but I recommend that you don't be a pussy like me.

Xyga and Mischief Maker make good points on both sides of using the guide or your own maps for PSII. I'd recommend doing either as there's some items in dungeons you really don't want to miss.
I do feel like I'll play II again one day, and when I do it'll be my own maps, Ive got survivor's guilt for using the guide..

Spoiler

Actually one thing in 2 that seemed Bullshitto was the tiny little square on the map that lets you go to the bottom of the sea on Motavia. That's a lot of fruitless blank ocean searching without a guide.

As Chief Maker says, maps aren't really required for III or IV.

I'm still casually enjoying IV, just got our asses kicked by zio in his tower for the first time.

[GaijinPunch]

I am starting to play the translation patch of the first game and am having a good time. It's a tough one.

GaijinPunch praised the game's nonlinearity, which if that's true could prove to be great... or not! for first time players.

I hope I can move to PSII after I close the deal on the first game. That'll take a while though.

It's tons of fun. I might go through it if I ever get off my ass and get another PS2 and have it hooked up to my TV. Loads of memories. Played through it many times WAY back in 6th grade (When it was new ). I think for the most part you always know where you need to go... or at least have an idea. But of course, you don't have to. I beat the game a few times w/o going through a few key dungeons. I won't spoil it for you though.

For someone unfamiliar with the first game, do you recommend printing out maps of all the dungeons so I won't get lost.....or would doing that ruin the experience and make it too predictable? I can definitely see myself getting lost, so the thought crossed my mind

I did what Blinge did, but only on like my 5th time through, and b/c I was a huge dork. You'll get lost in a few but it's not too bad all things considering. I'd not use the ones online... assuming you want the full experience.

[Ruldra]

For someone unfamiliar with the first game, do you recommend printing out maps of all the dungeons so I won't get lost.....or would doing that ruin the experience and make it too predictable? I can definitely see myself getting lost, so the thought crossed my mind

I did manage to beat the entirety of PS1 without ever using maps at all. There was only one place that was leaving me confused, but overall I had a general idea of where I was in the dungeon after exploring a bit.

It also helps that later you get a spell that instantly teleports you back to the dungeon entrance, and another that teleports you from the world map to the city. So as long as you reserve a bit of MP for those 2 spells, you're always safe.

My only recommendation is to grind a bit of levels in the beginning because Alisa starts off way too weak. Stay just outside the city, fight a bit then use that one house in town to heal yourself for free.

[Shoryukev]

Sounds like I'm overthinking it and need to just start playing