Is Phantasy Star Online worth it?

[KenaiPhoenix]

Before fans of PSO kill me, let me elaborate:

PSO is a game remember reading about on Nintendo magazines (Im still impressed with the NGC keyboard controller), but never actually got a chance to play any version of it.

Until a couple of years ago when I give New Genesis a try and... well it didnt click with me. I tried other 2 times to get into PSO NG but, I dont know, the combat is not that appealing to me or the rest of the game loop.

The other day I thought it might be cool to maybe connect my Dreamcast or my Xbox (or even Wii) to PSO, but since I have already give it a try, I dont know if it is worth the hassle.

So dont get me wrong, Im not saying the games are bad, Im asking if you guys recommend give a go to the OG PSO, maybe just try PSO2 (that iirc it is inside NG), or maybe it is really not worth since New Genesis didnt click with me.

What do you guys recommend?

Thanks

 

[Don Patch]

Well, if it's the OG PSO you're talking about ,play it offline first to see if it's your thing.
It's a tad slow-goings by today's standards and a might jank to boot. But it can be fun now with the right mindset.
If you're thinking about going online, there's a PC version called BlueBurst which is still pretty active.
I know the DC can hop online with the nifty raspberry pi deal, but I can't speak for the game's activity level and you may need to burn a patched GDI/CDI to get it to connect.

 

[TruxtonTatsujin TruxtonTatsujin]

I'm not big into PSO but I remember a lot of PSO2 vanilla players also didn't like New Genesis, so might be worth giving the older games a go for a second chance at it.
I've also considered giving PSO1 on the Dreamcast a try, but since the online part is a big aspect of an MMO I might just play on the Blue Burst fan server on PC since it seems much more active than any of the console servers. Plus Blue Burst has extra content not on DC or other console versions.

 

[NeonKnights]

I've played Phantasy Star but not PSO. Is it worth trying the offline GameCube version? I know it's an MMO and I'd be missing out on some features but I have always wanted to check out PSO. Is the GameCube version somewhat comparable to the MMO gameplay wise?

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

Ephinea PSOBB | Home

A Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst private server that recreates the classic PSOBB experience while adding new content and features.

ephinea.pioneer2.net

I'm in this one, but I haven't played in a while lol

 

[χKai]

No

There's nothing interesting or unique, it's a very bland game from start to finish.

 

[Don Patch]

No

There's nothing interesting or unique, it's a very bland game from start to finish.

While I disagree, respect the shit outta your no nonsense, straightforward answer.

 

[NotReallyHere]

It's absolutely worth a try! Provided you know what you're getting yourself into

It is a 25 -year-old game at this point. There is no voice acting or voice chat. There's also very little in the way of cutscenes. Dialogue is handled through word balloons that pop up over every character. And your inventory is limited to 30 different items (including your equipment) though you can have multiples of each that only take up the one single inventory slot.

However!

As someone who doesn't play these games for the story - but for the experience of soaking up a new world, setting, and characters - PSO scratches an itch in a way few games ever have. Customization is king with this one. You create a character from the start, and though the cosmetic options are very limited, you can still come up with some pretty unique designs. There's tons of sidequests, and while the main story is a bit of a drip - and getting XP is a total grind - there's plenty to keep you busy if you end up simply enjoying playing the game as it is.

The game's biggest hook was its multiplayer. You can play solo on Dreamcast or Gamecube, and both also offer online. The biggest perk of the Gamecube game is that it offers offline four-player split-screen simultaneous co-op! Which was the main way me and my buds would play back in the day. And we would play for hours on end. Each player can also pause the game and browse their menu screens independently of the others, as to not slow the gameplay down.

If you have any friends that might be interested in playing co-op with you, the Gamecube version is the way to go. Unfortunately, the Dreamcast has no local offline multiplayer.

There's also the MAG system - AKA, a virtual pet. Because 2000. Feeding and raising your MAG - and getting the combat benefits it offers you - is almost a game in and of, itself.

If you want to play on a Dreamcast, you will need a Serial Number and Access Key when you first boot the game. No problem - you can easily find them online. You will also need to dedicate an entire VMU to the game (!) so make sure you have an extra on hand!

On the Gamecube, if you're playing offline, all you need is the disc. No codes necessary. It's also a fairly compact save file that will fit on any standard Gamecube memory card.

One quick tip - Episode II is tough. You can try to play it from the jump, but you really need to level up your character a bit - and build an inventory of items - to give yourself a fighting chance.

As you can tell, I'm quite the fan of PSO. And with emulation these days, you have nothing to lose but time. Give it a try, and as long as you keep the frame of mind that you are playing a game that came out a quarter century ago, I think you'll be in for a nice time

 

[Sumea]

MAN.
MAN I WOULD LOVE TO.
So. I played PSO2 when it came out in 2012, for years, and came on and off back to it a lot. It was a fantastic, fun and social game that was just one of the best times I had online, even if the game was in japanese/translated partially/finally translated fully by fans. The people in it were fun to meet and play with, the gameplay was enjoyable, they made fun additions with new classes, new skills for the classes and everything. It was not open world but it was damn fun and had new content come into it all the time, and very easy to enjoy as a F2P (and very easy to still want to pay Sega for it, even if I had to go through hoops and import fees for certain types of point cards to pay for the premiums.

At EP4 of PSO2, a lot of people were put off by changes sega made to the systems. Added additional grind, did some stuff. I did not get all of it at the time, but a lot of people ragequit. Even I could myself in some way feel the game had a bit too much added, had to grind several different things in different ways for power level to go up and level cap content required it. Players became bit more and more focused on power levels than taking the game casually. Those players had quit also since some time ago and not as many new players around as I would have liked.

When PSO2 launched in west, it was hype. It was never going to happen yet here it was, announced by microsoft, it is happening. It happened. I had some fun with new players with the weird version of PSO2 they released, as it had this weird version of newest version of the game with old content. They would try to simulate a release cycle of the original Japanese version by staggering the content throughout the year as NGS was already known about at this point too.

And NGS came out and it was boring. I did not like it either and it lacked a lot of content and variety to the gameplay compared to the game it replaced. PSO2 was just that much more fuller game with all the updates, variety of classes, variety of moves the classes could do, funky tech with dodge chaining movement or using specific skills with specific classes for mobility and damage. I did try a later version of NGS two or three years ago. It was nicer but still hard to get hooked to like the crack Sega was giving out back in 2013. I also said something bad enough in chat that got me permabanned from my account so that was also cool. I did an alt account to see PSO2 with a friend this year, not NFS, but it is a dead game now, in both Japanese and Western servers. Something I did not want to go and see. It is like visiting a grave of loved one to be reminded of the good in painful way. NGS was slapped to replace PSO2 just so the cosmetics people paid a lot of money for would be happy transferring their characters to the new game. And character customization was one of the cooler aspects of PSO2 so even without any character level progression carrying over, it was a smart move. But also a bad one for legacy of PSO2 proper. NGS had good ideas just released in anemic state it has stayed in realtive to it's bigger sister.

I did try out PSO on xbox last year. It was damn good fun once I got through initial hurdles of getting used to how clunky it was. Because it also reminded me of a lot of the stuff I loved in PSO2. Meet few people that are helping or going through the game first time as well, learning the bosses, grinding with simple yet weirdly compelling gameplay. It should be boring, but it isn't. NGS Shouldn't be boring for all the bells and whisltes it renders out and lets you literally fly in the air. Yet it is.
In this grave, memories, only memories.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQYH8yNTTyo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMXwtueN96g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2XzFeglBe8


TL;DR: Yeah... Man... PSO2 used to be... So good.
Play PSO1. Ephinea server is good option with lot of people.
PSO2 when it gets a private server and player base again. Not happening.

 

[Kremiso]

Literally consumed the Dreamcast version here, first one.
Completed a couple of times, offline

i have played also the Gamecube version, but graphically i prefer the DC one, with that extra clean video output

Love how the difficulty raise proceeding into it
If you like the mechanic, is a game that will take years of your life

the PSP portable chapters are imo also good

 

[Bakuma1997]

I am not big into MMOs since i have a dislike for the FOMO they cause, that said the are a handful of Offline games that while short regarding campaign they can be fun in Single Player, if you happen to have an GCN emulator you can easly play 1 + 2 (My favorite of that canon) or the DS prequel

 

[goznog]

i'm playing it on and off through Blue Burst (Ephinea server), and I really like it but it's gonna be influenced by your preferences and how you're playing it. to explain it as simply as possible, it's a 3D action Diablo-like (not an MMORPG as people know them now) where you have to read enemy behaviours and time your canned weapon combo carefully to avoid getting creamed. as you level your character you get access to higher difficulties which will change drops to be a lot more interesting- grinding out normal is a bit slow because of how slight the weapon drops are, but it gets more exciting as you go. there's 3 major types of characters, and the latter two involve ranged combat so you'll spend more time herding them depending on your situation. playing with some friends definitely speeds up the process but the game does balance itself for solo play. stuff like the Mag pets mentioned above also offers you a bit of flexibility in your stats. hope that gives you a good idea of what to expect. never played PSO2 but it sounds like a whole other thing

 

[Sumea]

I am not big into MMOs since i have a dislike for the FOMO they cause, that said the are a handful of Offline games that while short regarding campaign they can be fun in Single Player, if you happen to have an GCN emulator you can easly play 1 + 2 (My favorite of that canon) or the DS prequel

PSO/U/P/0/2/NGS are not MMO's.
They are Online RPG's but not MM before that. Monster Hunter is a MMO if PSO is.

Post automatically merged: 52 minutes ago

i'm playing it on and off through Blue Burst (Ephinea server), and I really like it but it's gonna be influenced by your preferences and how you're playing it. to explain it as simply as possible, it's a 3D action Diablo-like (not an MMORPG as people know them now) where you have to read enemy behaviours and time your canned weapon combo carefully to avoid getting creamed. as you level your character you get access to higher difficulties which will change drops to be a lot more interesting- grinding out normal is a bit slow because of how slight the weapon drops are, but it gets more exciting as you go. there's 3 major types of characters, and the latter two involve ranged combat so you'll spend more time herding them depending on your situation. playing with some friends definitely speeds up the process but the game does balance itself for solo play. stuff like the Mag pets mentioned above also offers you a bit of flexibility in your stats. hope that gives you a good idea of what to expect. never played PSO2 but it sounds like a whole other thing

PSO2 was mostly the same, boss patterns to learn etc. It was much like PSO1 just you could jump, the combat was fast, you could do perfect guards or dodges with some classes, use roll invincibility, and do a lot of flashy stuff, and Universe is there in the middle ground of that evolution too. It did at least eventually fall into some dislikeable F2P trappings but mostly it was selling sexy or anime crossover costumes people wanted to pay a gacha for. I just was OK with it because people had option to sell the stuff and if you grinded a lot you could buy the costumes as F2P. If PSO2 was your job instead of a real one, or at least your second one. Or you had a male character, then stylin' was easy and cheap.

Easier, yes, PSO2 was much easier but also same type of progression where power levels mattered. The iffy part was when powering up to the maximum looked like more and more of vehicle to selling cash shop content, as grind protectors and succession boosts were there, making the roulette type gear level up have better casino chances. The system was replaced kinda too late with one less rouletty still grindy one. Just late enough for most people to quit in protest over time and it never being in Western version IIRC. I will go onto hills and say PSO2 was great.
was

 

[Geocide]

TL;DR - PSO Is great if you love grinding. If you are going to play PSO stock, play the Gamecube version PSOvI&IIPlus (it has more quests available for offline play than the original and is the definitive version to play by pretty much every PSO GC player). If you wanna play on PC online with friends Ephinea PSOBB is honestly the only server worth playing on.

It's a damn shame your first experience with the PSO world was with the god forsaken PSO2 New Genesis update... I can see why you didn't click with it. The only people even playing that game now are people suffering from the sunk cost fallacy. NG actually ruined PSO2. It's one of the few times where I hope the game finally goes offline so that a certain Team (hinthint) can put out their old school PSO2 private server that they've basically got working and running well, but refuse to release it until official shuts down (which I fully respect, and expect, even if I hate how badly SEGA butchered PSO2)

I'm by no means a PSO expert, but I have been around the scene since, minimum PSOBB official servers were still online (so minimum 20 years), and have observed the private server scene since schthack first popped up. I've put in a good 1200+h into things (which is baby time, but more than enough to form a solid, accurate opinion).

Only get into PSO if you LOVE THE GRIND. Getting to lvl200 is only the beginning of your journey (unless you get suuuuuuuuuuuper lucky). You have to remember the SEGA drop rates were in the 1/20000+ territory, with some of the rarest, most sought after items having drop rates that were statistically impossible to obtain, depending on the Section ID. Expect to grind for hundreds to over a thousand hours for a single item if you are playing unmodified PSO version (official SEGA DC and GC version). This is Monster Hunter grind on steroids.

PSO is all about playing on Ultimate difficulty and grinding for the perfect gear for your character. Ephinea is the best PSOBlueBurst experience, and considering the player base is actually increasing (which shocked me, but PSO is quite addicting with friends), there's no better reason than now to get into online PSOBB.

Now, IMHO:
As for THE VERSION to play offline and single player, you should ONLY consider the GameCube Phantasy Star Online Version I & II Return to Ragol v.1.0.3 romhack by The GMK (The Great MrKid). What this romhack does is make the grind MUCH more palatable, severely toning down the drop rates, allowing more diversity of weapon and armor usage by balancing some of the items and completely changing the way some of the items work (a saber would only hit a single enemy in the official version, but in RtR, it hits up to 3 enemies at the same time, which makes sense when watching the animation), and changing many things about the game that just makes sense, adding a QoL PSO so desperately needed.

Even better, RoR can actually go online using ragol.org's PSOGC server. (As a side note, I am not getting into the drama with ragol.org. I am just stating facts here about the options available. The player can determine if they want to use the server or not). Of course, you can also host your own server if you want to cut your teeth getting into server hosting with newserv, but that is beyond the scope of this topic.

Either way, you have options to play online with RtR if you want, but being able to fire up Dolphin, boot up RtR with 3 other friends on a huge monitor/TV, and actually enjoy the gameplay loop with great QoL features and feeling like you're actually making progress (instead of spending literal hundreds of hours for just basic things like stat maxing and Add Slots for armors...) is just incredibly satisfying.

Seriously, if you love the feel of the PSO universe, you need to give Return to Ragol a try! It's seriously everything I ever would've wanted in a romhack of PSOvI&IIPlus.

As an aside:
Many of the PSOv1&IIPlus Dolphin AR codes that Aleron Ives and Ron have created work with RtR, so if you want to tweak something more about the game, you can do that as well! There's many of them, and a bit of search engine wizardry will easily find them.

So, even if you don't want to play a romhack, you can always try and tweak the base game with AR Codes.

I understand the PSO/PSU/Phantasy Star Portable/Zero series isn't for everyone, but if you love grinding and a really cool sci-fi setting, they are definitely worth investing time into.

 

[Bakuma1997]

PSO/U/P/0/2/NGS are not MMO's.
They are Online RPG's but not MM before that. Monster Hunter is a MMO if PSO is.

Post automatically merged: 52 minutes ago

Well, blimey, that was an easy assumption on the sole basis of the name... whoops

 

[Sumea]

Well, blimey, that was an easy assumption on the sole basis of the name... whoops

Well, people have been blanket including a lot of games that classically should not be part of "MMORPG" category of games. "Online RPG" Is term sega used officially in japan, and also used for Rusty Hearts as well since they were the Japanese publisher. Games that play more like consistantly hosted Diablo or such I feel need a distinction, since usually not going full MMO lets you do other stuff like fast flashy action combat systems and such that would kill a classical MMO.
Even NGS is limited to maximum of 32 people in one zone 4 in party, though cities could have at least hundred people if not more, and PSO2 it was lobby with lot of people, max of 4 people in party 12 in same zone, 12 or 8 in some bossfights. MMO becomes a little bit of nothing term when you have to argue that with their logic Team Fortress 2 is a MMO and they actually agree. (Someone once said MMO is a game that just has tons of players)

I will put this here for no reason.

 

[Alice Yuri]

it's good, but you'd want to play the pc version via the ephinea server, it has all the episodes (except the one exclusive to the gamecube game C.A.R.D. Revolution)