Phantasy Star Online: Episode I&II review

The current state of the console market reflects Nintendo’s greatest downfall: its inability to ditch the traditional family style values which it so jealously holds onto and replace them with modern strategies in accordance with its competitors. Whereas Sony and Microsoft both have active online networks and a plethora of network-enabled games, Nintendo operate an “on demand” policy. Nintendo’s resistance has lead to a lot of controversy, particularly with its loyal fan base, many of which have demanded games with online content. To pacify this rabid fan base, the company, in alliance with Sega, has released Phantasy Star Online: Episodes I&II.

Of course, the name might be familiar. After all, those lucky few who owned a Sega Dreamcast, might remember the original Phantasy Star Online, released in December 2000. Critically acclaimed by many major publications, the game went on to win numerous game of the year awards, including the 2001 CESA. Never one to miss a cash-in, Sonic Team took the original PSO, added a few extra game features and a smattering of new weapons, and re-labelled it as PSO Version 2.

What Sonic Team have done for the GameCube edition is, in essence, remake the original PSO for a third time. The Dreamcast editions are all present and correct and have been re-branded as Episode I of the saga. The new material, in the form of Episode II, gives the impression of a substantial amount of fresh content and innovation. Unfortunately, the opportunity to really innovate has been misplaced, which is genuinely bewildering when you consider the amount of talent and potential Sonic Team have. Ironically, where most small sized developers are struggling to devise ambitious new concepts, in the hope that their creation will perform well at retail, Sonic Team can guarantee, even with the minimal work that has gone into creating PSO Episode I&II, that their game will be a commercial success (try telling their bank managers that – ed.). When you take time to examine the game mechanics, it’s very evident, even after four years; Phantasy Star Online is something very special indeed.

Paranoid Android

The front end of the game incorporates the polish you would expect from Sonic Team; glorious FMV sequences which tease your psyche with small snippets of game content. The menu gives a minimalist impression with its clear cut lines and neon-blue hues. There is also the de rigueur 60Hz option – which is obligatory if you wish to play with NTSC gamers.

The game begins with the creation of your character, which is astonishingly customisable. Every last piece of clothing can be manipulated and the geometry of your character can be stretched and pulled into virtually any shape you wish. Such flexibility is important (especially when you considering that a rumoured 600,000 members have signed up for the PSO service) as everyone wants a unique virtual identity. It’s important to decide what character class you want to be. Those of a “cuff ‘em and stuff ‘em” nature will be inclined to consider the Hunter class, who are, physically, the strongest. If you are inspired by The Lord of the Rings’ “Gandalf” or “Harry Potter” you should choose the Force class, who are masters of controlling the elements. Finally, if you’re a sharp-shooter by nature, contemplate the Ranger class, who excel in long distance combat. It’s also worth deliberating over whether you should be a Human, Newman or Android. Humans are the most balanced of the three, wheresd the Newman’s strengths lie in their increased magical ability, albeit, at a cost of attacking power and defence. The Androids are completely devoid of magic techniques, but boast incredible strength and defence. Episode II adds a further three combinations, bringing the total character count to twelve. Spending some time on deciding the final character is paramount, as the class and race ultimately determines your maximum statistical attributes and the weapons you can use.

Jackanory

The narrative is of particular weakness, and pails in comparison to epic RPGs such as Final Fantasy VII. Essentially, you are a hunter who has been hired by the Pioneer 2 government to investigate a new planet, Ragol, where a mysterious explosion has taken place. To make matters worse, the original space cruiser, Pioneer 1 (depicted in a Star Trek-esque manner) is believed to have crash landed on this mysterious new world. Certainly, there is nothing in the narrative to match the Final Fantasy series and those hoping to be involved on a similar emotional level are going to be left short changed.

Within ten minutes of playing the game, most players will be thinking negatively. After all, there are no fancy combos, simply a case of three slashes that are repeated ad infinitum. Worst still, repetition, in the game itself, is immediately apparent; all that you seem to do is kill every monster in an area, before moving onto the next - hardly inspirational stuff. The majority of players will be cursing the difficulty as well, with most enemies causing fatalities within two hits and, perhaps most frustratingly of all, most attacks miss due to the undeniably pitiful accuracy of the host character. With use of health items exceeding the revenue collected to replenish them, defeat is inevitable.

An hour or two later and your character can finally stand up to the enemies in the first level. Success has not been easy to achieve, but now the rewards are profound. There is a real sense of satisfaction as your stats continually rise with each level of experience gained which, in turn, unlock the doors to increasingly potent weaponry and higher level magic techniques. The game’s currency, meseta, no longer seems to be an issue - after all, you can now resist most of the enemy attacks which reduces the cost of healing items, allowing you to collate an abundance of coinage. At this point, connection to the PSO servers is appealing – after all, you are now relatively strong, have copious amounts of currency and a few items to trade.

Lobby your friends

Excitement is the initial feeling. After selecting a continent and lobby, you find yourself surrounded by a wealth of players. Slowly, one-by-one, they load into the GameCube’s memory, each person unique in appearance. Community is immediately apparent, people from all different races and cultures exchange information. Perhaps from across the continent, maybe from up the road, either way, the sense of scale is astonishing. Most humbling of all is that there is no sense of racial tension as everyone is judged on their thoughts and ideals.

First and foremost, you’re here to form a team. By wandering around each lobby and getting involved in conversation, you will find others to embark on a quest. One of the many revolutionary features of PSO is the ability to use a transcontinental dialogue system, such that predetermined phrases can be strung together into a sentence which can be interpreted by players of a different native tongue. It’s worth mentioning that the purity of conversation has been lost in the Xbox transition – by allowing gamers to talk in real time, there is now an element of prejudice which is thankfully missing from the ‘Cube edition. There is something genuinely alluring about all online games, the fact that you’re actually in co-operation with others does hold some kind of intrinsic enjoyment. However, where most games have an online component attached at the eleventh hour, PSO is tailor made for online play and anyone ignoring this will be severely disappointed with the linearity of the one player experience. Connect, though, and the game mechanics fall into place. Those with magical abilities heal the wounded on request, personnel with long range weaponry provide cover for the players fighting at close proximity, warning is given when hazards are realised and players have to work in conjunction to solve puzzles which reveal a wealth of goodies. You might be the weakest player, but, it doesn’t matter, as the more experienced players help the weak, especially in boss scenarios.

Size matters

Not many online games let participants take part in slaying 3D dragons bigger than your typical house. This is precisely what players are subjected to on the very first level. Enemies of this size are formidable by nature, and the strength of the cooperative forces within the party are absolutely crucial if you intend to succeed. The game’s ethos promotes the fact that “you are not the only hero”. Strategies are formulated and healing items shared such that the team is of optimum strength. The work done before hand ensures gradual success and the feeling of elation is immense. Everyone congratulates each other, friends are made and Guild Cards (virtual identities) are exchanged.

Initial online experiences, such as above, ensure addiction. PSO is definitely a product that approaches infinite replayability. Sure, there are only a total of eight level themes (including Episode II), but the ability to choose your allies transforms each game. Artificial intelligence is still a long way off matching the cognitive ability of humans, it cannot match the range of subjects and evoke the range of emotions we can. PSO emphasises the best of these qualities and ensures that no given game will be the same. The more you play the game, the more you aspire to become a true PSO master. The talk of legendary weapons that can only be accessed at Level 84, when you’re only at Level 20 – after eight hours of play, fuels your enthusiasm to continue. Likewise, the desire to unlock the ultimate mode requires your character to have reached Level 80. Sonic Team has unintentionally coded the gaming equivalent of crack.

The cost of living

Based on its online merits, PSO is pretty much perfect. However, there are flaws, which on the whole, are technical constraints. Sega’s Dreamcast hardware, although a phenomenally powerful machine back at the turn of the millennium, is now looking very tired. The GameCube edition uses the exact same game engine, leading to a visually competent, but not exactly sublime looking game. Likewise, the pop-up that plagued the former host machine is still evident. The merits of the new four player split screen mode, are severely hampered by the dreadful draw distance and slimming down of the HUD – which is understandable, but hardly ideal.

For some, PSO might not be financially viable. After all, to make the most of the game, you will need a modem, a keyboard (which is absolutely essential for effective communication) and an ISP with an anytime package - to prevent phone bills reaching epic proportions. Controversially, regular players will have to invest approximately £7, every month, to renew their “Hunters License”. With the initial cost running on the upper side of £100, it’s questionable why a package deal hasn’t been introduced.

Regardless of all the paraphernalia required to experience the game and the technical shortcomings it posses, PSO remains an enticing prospect. Those that criticise and vindicate the linearity of the one player game are misunderstanding the central theme. Atmospherically, the game is without rival and the sense of community is absolutely charming. Perhaps, after four years following its original incarnation, Sonic Team will finally get the massive retail success they deserve for conceiving an early vision of the future of electronic entertainment.