Is Phantasy Star Online worth it?

[Sumea]

I PROMISE YOU.
IF YOU DECIDE TO PLAY PSO ON GC, I WILL PLAY WITH YOU ON SERVER OF YOUR CHOICE.
IF YOU PLAY EPHINEA, I WILL BE THERE

Post automatically merged: Tuesday at 9:52 PM

You can try to play the Gamecube ones, including PSO

ANYONE knows anything about if the project to play Phantasy Star Online as a multiplatform online game get any success? I know some people tried hard to play online using DC, GC and XBOX (maybe even PC) at the same time.

Currently Schthack and other servers offer this option,
Xbox and GC are cross compatible on Schthack and other servers.
If you play GC version on emulator, this extends to very wide multiplatform compatibility
Like seriously, I played with a cool guy who ran PSO on his android phone emulating the GC version while playing on xbox.

 

[Alarond]

Currently Schthack and other servers offer this option,
Xbox and GC are cross compatible on Schthack and other servers.
If you play GC version on emulator, this extends to very wide multiplatform compatibility

Oh my god, Really??? They did it? That's freaking amazing

I use emulation, I never got the broadband adapter for the GC. In fact, I found the emulated version a lot better to play for communication purposes.
So in emulation you can play DC with GC for example? I need to search about that.

 

[Sumea]

So in emulation you can play DC with GC for example? I need to search about that.

No. at max, currently, there is slighty beta feature for GC/xbox to DC as they are so different, but they will see each other in the lobby. I think Schthack did introduce somewhat limited beta crossplay but mainly it is for GC and Xbox that are similar, and emulation/simulation makes GC version work online for Wii, Wii U, and Dolphin emulator. So no, GC is somewhat out of luck and even Blue Burst but yeah.

 

[csanjuro]

I like PSO
playing in Ephinea

 

[Alarond]

No. at max, currently, there is slighty beta feature for GC/xbox to DC as they are so different, but they will see each other in the lobby. I think Schthack did introduce somewhat limited beta crossplay but mainly it is for GC and Xbox that are similar, and emulation/simulation makes GC version work online for Wii, Wii U, and Dolphin emulator. So no, GC is somewhat out of luck and even Blue Burst but yeah.

ok, thank you very much.

I knew the versions are so different (in tech aspects) it takes a lot of effort to make them compatible.
But its amazing when it works in some way.

Phantasy Star Online by Sega and Sonic Team was (well, is) the very first Online RPG in consoles, and deserves to be recognized a lot more.

 

[Ezri_Muldoon]

PSO2? YES
I used to run two SEA accounts back when the region locking was temporarily removed plus my current account on steam.
You won't find a better MMO in terms of fluid, real time action combat & it's near limitless customisability.
10 years of expansions already existed when it (finally) launched in the west. Unlike World of Warcraft PSO2's format is linear, so you get to play through a decade of content with out having any of it gated away.
New Genesis was incredibly controversial when it launched, to the point players just kept with the old content. But four years in it's equally as fun, if you prefer an open world with dynamic events (Think Breath of the Wild) with the option of constructing your own home (That's the only paywalled feature) New Genesis is great.
Sega did have to segregate the original PSO2 content off into a separate download to encourage players to switch. But the original game is still ludicrously popular.
Plus your cosmetics carry over from New Genesis to PSO2. All of them, even the ones Sega claims are locked to NG.
NG cosmetics can't be applied in PS02. But if they're equipped by default, they're present when you log in- you simply can't modify your appearance without losing them (They're still in your inventory they're just not applicable)- unless you log into NG.

PSO Blue Burst? Ephinea/Dreamcast (Yes, the DC original still works.)
Absolutely, but it's not really an MMO. Think of it more as a Diablo style dungeon run where you and your friends run through missions & levels, coming out with loot so you can upgrade your items.
It has some cosmetic options, but that's it. You're not going to jump in and do any roleplay it's what we would now call a raid game.

But it's incredibly fun and if you can get a regular group of people together you can just raid for a few hours all talking on Discord/Steam/Teamspeak.

Ultimately the main difference is the combat.
If you want dynamic action combat where you move like Dante from Devil May Cry dodging attacks? PSO2
If you want a more relaxed, WoW experience where positioning & item management matters more then its PSO

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Thank you guys for the replies! Im going to give it another run this weekend to, probably PSO2 first. I mean I already had it installed in my PS5, so it is a good start.

I plan to give it PSO1 a try as well, I wanted to give it a go on consoles because of it charm, but the console servers are not that populated from what I saw (sadly). I would have to get a DreamPi for my DC, get the game for my Xbox or stole my brother Wii for the NGC version and get the game (I dont know if he had it hacked, and it is not mine to mess with :/ ). So I guess PC will have to be, kind of like bummer to be honest, I just love old consoles online, it is just so simple it is magic. On the plus side, there is an installer on Lutris to help me get it on Linux.

And yeah, you guys are right, it is not an MMO, I guess I created to topic here beacuse I always knew PSO as an MMO. And it is not a big problem for me that it is more like Diablo. In fact it sounds fantastic, I will get more into Horizon XI soon, so my MMORPG will be filled, and I love the grind of these games.

PSO Blue Burst? Ephinea/Dreamcast (Yes, the DC original still works.)

Really? I thought it was only Sylverant or schthack (from my uneducated investigation tbh)

 

[Sumea]

Thank you guys for the replies! Im going to give it another run this weekend to, probably PSO2 first. I mean I already had it installed in my PS5, so it is a good start.

I plan to give it PSO1 a try as well, I wanted to give it a go on consoles because of it charm, but the console servers are not that populated from what I saw (sadly). I would have to get a DreamPi for my DC, get the game for my Xbox or stole my brother Wii for the NGC version and get the game (I dont know if he had it hacked, and it is not mine to mess with :/ ). So I guess PC will have to be, kind of like bummer to be honest, I just love old consoles online, it is just so simple it is magic. On the plus side, there is an installer on Lutris to help me get it on Linux.

And yeah, you guys are right, it is not an MMO, I guess I created to topic here beacuse I always knew PSO as an MMO. And it is not a big problem for me that it is more like Diablo. In fact it sounds fantastic, I will get more into Horizon XI soon, so my MMORPG will be filled, and I love the grind of these games.



Really? I thought it was only Sylverant or schthack (from my uneducated investigation tbh)

Try out the PSO2 classic game included in NGS, you need additional files and then intro of NGS to access it but... Try it, even if you will be very alone.

 

[Ezri_Muldoon]

Really? I thought it was only Sylverant or schthack (from my uneducated investigation tbh)

It is Sylverant for the Dreamcast, so it wouldn't connect to the same servers as Blue Burst Ephinea for the PC. My apologies for the confusion. But both are still functional and most importantly free if you chose to ever jump

 

[Alarond]

It is Sylverant for the Dreamcast, so it wouldn't connect to the same servers as Blue Burst Ephinea for the PC. My apologies for the confusion. But both are still functional and most importantly free if you chose to ever jump

The thing about private PSO servers is... they are always tempting you, because the game is just what it was, the original game.

Instead, in projects like HorizonXI (as KenaiPhoenix cited) for FFXI, they are totally different. Because FFXI is already in development, is still a commercial product in PC* (I applause SquareEnix for having those giant balls).
During many years FFXI received new content (including various full expansions, new continents, cities, items, and much more) since the Chains of Promathia era from 2006, which HorizonXI pretends to replicate. And from what I undestand, continues to be a level 75 cap... which is laaaaargely surpassed (waaaay way overcomed) in the official FFXI. And don't think, because that, the official game stopped to be a real challenge for the hardcore gamers.

It's a paradoxal situation, were an old game (PSO) feels as new as it was, because you play it as it was by then, until its official support ended...
Instead, a game of the same era, still commercially supported, with a HUGE development along the years, makes you feel the 2006-based private servers of the game as effing archaic (if you played commercial FFXI after that era).
That's the reason I couldn't adapt to HorizonXI. I understand why its creators and their players like to be in that era (basically for nostalgic reasons), and I morally support them, but... to me, as a (sometimes) player of the normal FFXI... I just... I can't. Also, FFXI is too much time demanding... I just prefer to play the official game from time to time if I can, and try to explore all the things it offers.

*(and remember PS2 and X360 versions of FFXI are not supported anymore, because their respective companies just don't support those consoles anymore, don't attack SE: SE even released a version of "Seekers of Adoulin" FFXI expansion for PS2, in Japan, when PS2 was by then a real zombie in the market, in 2013!! One of the last... or maybe, the LAST title of PS2 in Japan.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Try out the PSO2 classic game included in NGS, you need additional files and then intro of NGS to access it but... Try it, even if you will be very alone.

From what I have been reading I will probably like PSO1 more than 2, but since I already have it installed, I dont think it will hurt to give it a try.

You play on GC or PC? Im still deciding what to do. Dreamcast will probably be ruled out since I dont have a dreampy or bba, and my economic situation is not ideal to let me spent 100+ bucks on a modem for only one game.

It is Sylverant for the Dreamcast, so it wouldn't connect to the same servers as Blue Burst Ephinea for the PC. My apologies for the confusion. But both are still functional and most importantly free if you chose to ever jump

Oh I see, no worries!

That's the reason I couldn't adapt to HorizonXI. I understand why its creators and their players like to be in that era (basically for nostalgic reasons), and I morally support them, but... to me, as a (sometimes) player of the normal FFXI... I just... I can't. Also, FFXI is too much time demanding... I just prefer to play the official game from time to time if I can, and try to explore all the things it offers.

I would love to have a middle ground, and this is why I will never forgive Yopshi-P for destroying FFXIV 1.0. The formula of FFXI is really good, it sadly got kind of destroyed to push the move to XIV, but then that gor obliterated so it can have a WoW clone.

I like retail, I play from time to time, it is really fun, but I fell I lost a lot of the core gameplay when using trusts. For example: when playing on Horizon I had to learn about my skills, and openings for some mobs with magic, because otherwise I would just die, on retail I just trust and either kill the mob or die because I was incredible underlevel.

Now the issues with Horizon is that they (imho) should probably make a "middle ground", like just adjust the exp gain for a more smooth grind, a more fast movement or at least some TP... I like how it feels more alive and more "adventure" Horizon XI, but sometimes is just too clunky. If only they had refined the system in XIV...

 

[MegaHiro91]

Worth it? What is the "it" factor your are comparing to?

 

[Sumea]

You play on GC or PC? Im still deciding what to do. Dreamcast will probably be ruled out since I dont have a dreampy or bba, and my economic situation is not ideal to let me spent 100+ bucks on a modem for only one game.

Both, Ephinea/PC is more populated but there is a scene around GC/Xbox which I also played. Xbox more than GC but the versions cross up on the three servers supporting both versions.